Dhamanaveshi in Malé will be temporarily closed from Monday as work begins to develop the city’s second Urban Primary Health Care Centre.

The facility, currently operating from the former Thalassaemia Centre building, will be closed while the premises are renovated and converted into the new health centre. Health authorities have assured that all services currently provided through Dhamanaveshi will remain available through alternative locations in Malé and Hulhumalé.

Services in Malé will be provided through the Urban Primary Health Care Centre in Maafannu, while services in Hulhumalé will be available through the Public Health Unit at Hulhumalé Hospital and the GP Clinic in Tower 16 of Hulhumalé Phase II.

Dhamanaveshi currently offers a range of preventive and community healthcare services, including childhood vaccinations, growth monitoring, consultations for common illnesses, health screening programmes, smoking cessation support and counselling services.

Once completed, the new Urban Primary Health Care Centre is expected to offer a wider range of services than those currently available at Dhamanaveshi. In addition to general practitioner consultations, the centre will provide improved access to specialist referrals and support the delivery of national public health programmes.