Male’ City Group of Hospitals CEO Ibrahim Abdul Razzaq Haleem said he shared the vision of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu to ensure independence of the country’s healthcare sector.
Speaking during the ceremony to inaugurate the newly expanded dialysis centre at the Hulhumale’ Hospital, Haleem explained that the hospital inaugurated in 2012 had been serving dialysis patients with just 10 specialised beds.
As a result, the CEO noted that the service had to be expanded from two to three shifts in order to cater to the increasing number of patients suffering from kidney disease. Haleem said the country’s health sector is ready to work with the President to ensure the autonomy of the country’s healthcare system.
"Dialysis is not a choice. Kidney patients have to wait here for four hours three days a week to get care. So even though we started providing services in three shifts, it was not easy to see the elderly staying here overnight. So with a clear directive of the President, we decided to add 30 more beds to the Orange Hiyaa centre,” he explained.
Two private contractors were awarded the dialysis expansion contract in February this year to add 30 more beds to the existing dialysis centre at Hulhumale’ Hospital. According to the Male’ City Group of Hospitals, the centre will be able to serve 150 patients a day, with two beds reserved for emergency care and one for patients who need isolation.