Govt to build 15 GP clinics in bid to eliminate doctors’ waitlist

The government has allocated funds in the 2025 state budget to build 15 general practitioner’s clinics or GP clinics, in an initiative that the government said is designed to eliminate the sometimes monthslong waiting list for appointments with doctors, especially specialist doctors.

The MVR 56.6 billion budget presented to the Parliament by Finance Minister Moosa Zameer on Thursday includes significant investments in health sector.

According to the government, once the GP clinics are built, patients will need to consult with general practitioners before consulting with specialists and super specialists – if they need to.

Finance Ministry believes this will completely eliminate the long waitlists for consultation with specialist doctors and superspecialists.

There is also a budget allotment to build five hospitals in a bid to improve accessibility to healthcare services in the Maldives.

The government said that the hospitals will eliminate the need for Maldivians to travel overseas to access specialized medical services such as cancer treatment, bone marrow transplants and organ transplants.

The government also plans to expand healthcare services across the country, which it said will lay the foundation for a healthcare system where people do not need to travel to Male’ for healthcare services unless on rare occasions.

The government also plans to expand a primary healthcare system across the country next year to promote preventive action.

The 2025 budget has been described by the government as “the best budget to date.” The Finance Ministry has said it wishes to effectively implement the budget, adding that it will ensure the country ends the year without needing a supplementary budget for the first time in recent years.