MDP criticizes government over delay in building Addu hospital

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has criticized the government saying that delay in constructing the 100-bed hospital in Addu City was because government discriminated between the citizens of Addu and the rest of the country.

Speaking during a press conference held by MDP on Tuesday, Maradhoo MP Ibrahim Shareef said that he could not find any valid reason for the delay given that a large portion of funding for the project had already been secured through foreign aid.

“It looks like government is discriminating. There’s no other plausible reason for this,” said Shareef.

Meanwhile, government has said that government found it more of a priority to repair Hithadhoo Regional Hospital and improve the quality of services provided there, rather than building a new hospital.

Shareef said that the delay in building the hospital was a national issue. He said that MDP would not politicize a national issue and that they were ready to provide government their full cooperation to go ahead with the project.

“I want to say to the government; repair the hospital and improve the quality of service. But also build the hospital as has been budgeted,” he said.

He said that though government had said they wanted to delay building the hospital because they wanted to minimize budget deficit, building the hospital would not result in a bigger deficit.

He said that the project had been budgeted, and finance secured with USD 58 million in foreign aid.

MDP Secretary General Anas Abdul Sattar also supported MP Shareef’s claims that government was being discriminatory, and that building another hospital in Hulhumale’ while there was already a hospital there was a prime example of that.