China-backed 100-bed hospital in Vilimale’ expected to open in 2027

The planned 100-bed tertiary hospital in Vilimale’ is expected to open in 2027, according to Infrastructure Minister Dr. Abdulla Muthalib.

The project to develop a 100-bed tertiary hospital in Vilimale’ is being carried out with funding from the Chinese government.

In May, Maldives and China signed a letter of exchange regarding conducting a feasibility study for the project. The Infrastructure Ministry has announced that the feasibility study is now done.

On Thursday morning, Muthalib and Chinese Ambassador Wang Lixin signed a memorandum of feasibility findings, establishing the basis to move to the next stage of the project – the design and procurement stage.

Speaking to reporters at the signing ceremony, Muthalib said the design and tendering process is expected to take six months. He added that Beijing will also find a contractor for the project through a bidding process during this period.

Construction work is expected to begin next year.

“We expect it [the construction] to be done in two years. And we hope this hospital will begin operations as a state-of-the-art tertiary hospital within 2027,” said Muthalib.

Meanwhile, Wang reiterated Beijing’s commitment to supporting the project.

“The Chinese government is always ready to do what we can to help facilitate this project,” she said.

Vilimale’ is an island that neighbors Male’ City and is designated as a district of the capital. It has a population of some 15,000 people. However, the existing hospital in the island only has five emergency beds and three in-patient rooms, forcing patients to travel to Male’ for medical care.

The then-Health Minister Dr. Abdulla Khaleel announced the decision to build a 100-bed tertiary hospital in Vilimale’ on December 27, 2023.

And in January, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said that the Chinese government had offered grant assistance to fund the project.

He made the announcement via a video message while on a state visit to Beijing.

In the video message, President Muizzu said that China had agreed to fully fund the project.

And in March, the president said that the government had allocated land from Vilimale’ for the project, and that physical works would begin as soon as the technical work wraps up.

In May, Maldives and China signed a letter of exchange regarding conducting a feasibility study for the project.

President Muizzu has named improving access to healthcare as a top priority for his administration, and has said that the construction of the new hospital in Vilimale’ will eliminate the need for residents of the district to travel to Male’ City to access medical services.

The hospital project is not the only infrastructure development project supported by Beijing in Vilimale’. In July, Maldives and CIDCA signed a letter of exchange on conducting a feasibility study to redevelop the roads of Vilimale’ and Male’ City.