Healthcare capacity in Maldives to be increased amid record Covid-19 cases

Spokesperson of the Presidents Office, Mohamed Mabrook Azeez | Photo: HEOC

Malé, Maldives – Spokes person of the President’s Office Mabrook Azeez has announced multiple development plans to increase the healthcare capacity of Maldives with the increasing number of Covid-19 cases.

Speaking at last night’s press conference of Health Emergency Operations Center, Mabrook stressed on the multiple plans of the government to increase the health care capacity in Maldives. This includes operationalisation of additional ICUs, hospital beds as well as a flu clinic in greater Malé region.

50 additional hospital beds to be added to Hulhumalé Hospital

Speaking at the conference, Mabrook talked about a contingency plan to increase the number hospital beds and ICUs currently in use. He noted that work is being done to operationalize 50 beds at the Hulhumalé Hospital. He added that plans have been made to develop an additional flu clinic and sample collection center.

Additional ICUs for Malé

Spokes person Mabrook said that work is underway to operationalize additional ICUs as the current ones are fully occupied due to the increased number of Covid-19 patients. He said that the DH11 facility of Dharumavantha Hospital is currently full and that a patient is being treated at Hulhumalé medical facility. He added that 8 additional beds are put to be in use at this facility today.

Velidhoo Isolation Facility to begin operation

In addition to this, Mabrook said that Velidhoo Isolation Facility is to be put into operation as the 111 beds at Farukolhufushi Isolation Facility and multiple other healthcare facilities are being fully occupied. He also noted that 171 out of the 248 beds at Hulhumalé Medical Facility are now occupied and that the DH16 facility at Dharumavantha Hospital specialized for pregnant women is also one bed away from being fully occupied.

HEOC stressed on the increasing number of pregnant women testing fir Covid-19. They added that multiple patients are being treated at the DH11 facility of Dharumavantha Hospital and that two of them are in a serious state.

While Maldives recorded the highest number of daily Covid-19 cases since the pandemic hit the tiny island nation with 734 cases yesterday, the total number of Covid-19 cases recorded in the country has reached 32,665 out of which 25,473 patients have made full recoveries, as of 18:00 of May 5, 2021. Currently the total number of active cases in the country stands at 7,109.