The Ministry of Health has revealed the extension building for the Ungoofaaru Regional Hospital has been completed and handed over. The contractor handed over the certificate of completion to the hospital management on behalf of the health ministry at a ceremony held at the Ungoofaaru Regional Hospital.
After the ceremony, Minister of State Ahmed Adil and the health ministry team inspected the facilities and services provided at the extension building of the hospital. The project to upgrade the hospital to tertiary level began in March last year to address the complaints of patients. Alia Construction Private Limited was contracted in 2021 to construct an extension building of the hospital at a cost of USD5 million.
The ground floor of the three-storey extension building includes emergency rooms and the radiology department, with CT scanning, X-ray, ultrasound, mammography, and MRI services. The first floor includes two operation theatres and a laboratory, while the second floor includes the physiotherapy department and private rooms. The newly built extension building will bring the number of private rooms at the hospital to 16. In addition, 300W solar panels have been installed on the roof which will increase the reliance on environmentally friendly energy and reduce the cost of fuel.
Developing health facilities in the atolls is one of the highest priorities of the administration. The initiative aims to reduce the reliance on the Greater Male’ Region and allow residents to receive medical treatment and healthcare services near their residential islands. As such, the government has pledged to develop tertiary hospitals in six regions, including at Ungoofaaru in Raa Atoll.