Malé’s two leading government hospitals—Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and Dharumavantha Hospital—have seen a major capacity boost, with 194 additional beds introduced over the past 18 months. The update was shared by Ibrahim Abdul Razzaq Haleem, Chief Executive Officer of the Malé Group of Hospitals, during the inauguration ceremony of a new Multi-Specialty Surgical Wing at IGMH on Tuesday.
Addressing attendees at the event, CEO Haleem detailed a series of improvements rolled out recently across both hospitals. Among the key developments are the opening of a specialised emergency room for children at IGMH and the launch of a national fertility centre at Dharumavantha Hospital, which now offers IVF services. New facilities including a state-of-the-art operation theatre complex at IGMH and a catheterisation lab at Dharumavantha have also been brought online, he added.
Reflecting on the hospitals’ growth trajectory, Haleem noted that IGMH initially opened in 1995 with just 186 beds to serve a population of 62,000. By 2023, the number of beds had grown to 310—an increase of 130 beds over nearly three decades, catering to a population now exceeding 212,000.
However, the most recent pace of expansion has been markedly faster. “In just one and a half years, we have added 194 new beds—119 last year alone, and 75 more added today,” Haleem said, calling it a transformative period for the nation’s public healthcare infrastructure. The total bed count at the two hospitals now stands at 510.
“This level of prioritisation for healthcare is unprecedented,” he said. “It represents not only infrastructural development but a stronger commitment to accessible, timely medical services for the public.”
Haleem also announced that IGMH currently provides 32 multi-specialty services, with plans to introduce bypass surgery and interventional radiology services later this year.
In addition to expanding physical capacity, efforts have been made to strengthen human resources within the hospitals. Over the last six years, approval was granted for the recruitment of 411 new staff members, a majority of whom have already joined the healthcare workforce.
The latest developments are seen as part of a broader push to modernise Maldives’ public healthcare system and address the growing demands of an expanding population.
