The biggest challenge in the construction of the Hulhumalé Medical Facility was when a number of workers at the site tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19), says Vice Chief of Defense Force, Brigadier General Abdul Raheem Abdul Latheef, who added that most of them have recovered.

During a special interview during RaajjeTV’s Covid-19 Coverage, General Latheef noted that the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) officers and others in the workforce were transferred into isolation when they tested positive for the infection.

Those remaining at work had quarantined themselves at the site and continued with the project.

A number of government institutions including FENAKA Corporation had worked in cooperation with MNDF to complete the project, said Latheef, who noted that one of the officers who tested positive had deteriorated at one point. However, the officer is currently in stable condition.

The coronavirus-stricken officers who recovered had joined the ceremony to hand the facility over to the state-run Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) on Sunday.

The construction work began on April 1 and the positive cases surfaced on April 25 following which 76 officers went into quarantine at the site. The facility was completed within seven weeks.

The five-block facility with 300 beds was developed in case of a rapid increase of Covid-19 cases in the country. MVR 40 million was allocated for the project, including MVR 28 million acquire medical supplies and the rest for construction.

Ventilators will also be operated at this facility which also houses an accommodation block for the healthcare workers.