Despite President Muizzu's pledge to launch dialysis services in every atoll, Minister Geela states that the establishment of these services will be based on patient population density

Minister of Health Geela Ali has stated that the establishment of dialysis services across islands and atolls will be prioritized based on the number and proportion of patients requiring treatment in those specific areas.

Responding to a question from a RaajjeTV journalist during a press conference at the President's Office on Wednesday, Health Minister Geela stated that the establishment of healthcare services must be based on the number of patients residing in the specific island or atoll.

The Minister noted that such services cannot be established in the absence of a patient base, emphasizing that the clinical skills of doctors and the overall quality of care can only be sustained through active practice with patients.

Health services are established based on the ratio of patients within a specific island or atoll. These facilities are developed by analyzing patient statistics. Therefore, such services will not be established in an island or atoll if there is no demand for them or if there are no patients seeking that particular treatment.

Geela Ali

Furthermore, the Minister stated that since dialysis is a specialized field requiring specific expertise, it is essential to train nurses specifically for this purpose.

The Minister stated that while the objective remains to establish services across all islands, priority is currently being given to locations where at least three patients are awaiting treatment. Furthermore, the Minister revealed that studies are underway to determine whether patients prefer to receive treatment in Male' or return to their home islands to access these services.

Furthermore, Minister Geela stated that the provision of machinery and training required for dialysis services is currently ongoing. Minister Geela also noted that while services have not yet been established in some atolls according to the planned schedule, efforts to expand these services across the atolls are proceeding without interruption.

Establishing dialysis services in every atoll across the Maldives is a key pledge of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.

The government had previously announced that dialysis services would be established in every atoll across the Maldives by the end of 2024. However, after failing to meet that deadline, the Ministry has now stated that the services will be operational in all atolls by September 2025.

According to the latest statistics shared by Minister Geela, the service has been launched in 11 islands to date. She further noted that preparations are underway to introduce the service in an additional nine islands.

Based on these statistics, it is unlikely that the service will be fully operational across all atolls by the end of 2026.