Minister of Health, Family and Welfare Geela Ali has said the decision by the former MDP administration to open Dharumavantha Hospital before its development was fully completed became a major obstacle to delivering quality healthcare services.

Responding to questions in Parliament on Wednesday, the minister said the hospital was originally opened to expand capacity at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and improve healthcare services. However, she said several key facilities and services planned for the hospital were not completed at the time.

Minister Geela noted that despite the significant investment made by the Government to construct the 25-storey hospital, the facility was not fully developed before it began operations, limiting its ability to provide comprehensive medical services.

She said the current Administration has since completed the remaining development works, upgraded the facility and introduced modern medical services to enhance patient care.

Among the new services now available at Dharumavantha Hospital are a National Fertility Centre, a hybrid cardiac catheterisation laboratory (hybrid cath lab) for cardiovascular treatment, a dedicated paediatric emergency department, delivery suites, a paediatric intensive care unit (ICU), private rooms and executive suites.

The minister said these improvements have strengthened the hospital's capacity and expanded access to specialised healthcare services in the Maldives.