Malé, Maldives – Two major hospitals providing regional services in the north of Maldives have been closed off to other islands as HDh. Kulhudhuffushi and R. Ungoofaaru are placed under monitoring.
With the capital city Malé where majority of health care facilities located under monitoring, regional hospitals are the heath facilities that the general public is reliant on for treatment.
Ungoofaaru Regional Hospital treats patients of 6 atolls, from N. Atoll to AA. Atoll on a daily basis. Local Council member of Ungoofaaru, Hussain Asif expressed concerns for the patients stating that on average 400 to 500 people visit the island daily for medical needs.
Many people come to the island for some treatment every day. Can’t even comprehend the difficulty they must be going through with the island closed off.
Hussain Asif, Ungoofaaru Local Council
While Ungoofaaru hospital provides emergency services including major injuries and dialysis, the hospital has adopted teleconsultation as the preferred method.
Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital caters to the needs of the four most nothern atolls of the country. Hospital Manager Ahmed Daood says that on average 400 people visit the Out Patient Department (OPD) every day, with the majority being people from other islands.
It will be very difficult for people. Expecting mothers even come to deliver from very far islands.
Ahmed Daood, Hospital Manager, Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital
Lhaviyani Atoll hospital located in Lh. Naifaru was closed for contact tracing due to one employee of the hospital testing positive for Covid-19 as well, and the island Lh. Naifaru has been placed under monitoring on 23 March 2021.
Lh. Atoll Hospital reports that the Covid-19 positive individual recently travelled to R. Ungoofaaru and was identified in through random sample testing of individuals who travelled to Ungoofaaru.
HPA declared monitoring status for HDh. Kulhudhuffushi yesterday after a patient from Lh. Naifaru admitted at Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital and a close contact tested positive. Daood states that 70 samples have been taken from Kulhudhuffushi and monitoring status will remain depending on the results.
R. Ungoofaaru was placed under monitoring on 20 March 2021 after an individual tested positive for Covid-19. The positive cases were individual working on a boat travelling between Malé and Ungoofaaru, and their close contacts.
HPA advises all individuals who travelled to R. Ungoofaaru from 2 March 2021 to inform the nearest Hospital or Health Center.
