Interior construction of the 25-storey extension to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) is complete and equipment installation is now in progress, says IGMH CEO Mohamed Rishwan.

Rishwan said that while the IGMH extension, known as ‘Dharumavantha Hospital’, has been scheduled to open by February next year, the opening will likely be postponed.

In this regard, the state-run company executive said that there have been significant delays due to the ongoing work to transfer governments, from incumbent President Abdulla Yameen to his to-be successor president-elect Ibrahim Solih.

Rishwan said that IGMH has been in discussion with Solih’s transitional committee as well as the current government, and that these discussions concluded on Wednesday.

The project was announced in 2015 and Singapore based private-company Chang Hua Construction was hired to build the tower in June, 2016.

A budget of MVR 2.1 billion has been approved for the project, although purchasing of equipment is funded by separate budget.

Ahmed Mausoom, IGMH’s Director of Public Relations and Media, earlier told RaajjeMV that the biggest obstacle to its staff currently is land limitation. Mausoom said that services extended by the hospital will increase ‘three-fold’ once the tower is complete.

IGMH said that the tower would greatly increase lobby services for out-patients in addition to bringing key advancements to its departments on radiology and sports medicine.

The tower, which the government initially said would be complete by 2018, is to also include a child care center, a gym, and a rehabilitation suite.

Construction of the tower, the tallest in capital city Malé, has been a key accomplishment for President Yameen, who claimed in his concession speech that health sector development was his biggest contribution as president.