Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) has announced that it will give priority to graduates from the Maldives National University (MNU) School of Medicine for its internship programme, over those who have graduated from overseas universities.

This decision comes at a time when IGMH is already hosting 60 medical interns, well above its ideal annual intake of 30. Originally, the hospital had planned to accept only 15 interns for the March 2024 intake to accommodate the first batch of MNU School of Medicine graduates. However, due to overwhelming demand, IGMH accepted 39 applicants who had recently graduated from universities overseas, increasing the total number of interns to 60.

The surge in the number of interns has put significant strain on IGMH’s infrastructure, which is grappling with space limitations, infection control challenges, and an already stretched workforce of medical, nursing, and healthcare staff.

In an effort to alleviate the pressure on IGMH and meet the growing demand for medical internship placements, the Ministry of Health has facilitated the introduction of an internship programme at ADK Hospital. Set to launch in January 2025, the programme will offer 20 internship positions, each costing MVR 14,500 per month, bringing the total cost for completing the year-long programme to MVR 174,000.