Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen has stated he does not believe Dharumavantha Hospital is a solution for the medical issues faced in the greater Male' region. The health minister expressed although solutions are not found immediately, the services provided at Dharumavantha Hospital can be improved.
Answering questions posed by Parliamentary Committee on Social Affairs, Health Minister Ameen said Dharumavantha Hospital does not have the capacity to attend the amount of patients seeking medical assistance per day, adding over 4,000 patients visit Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) daily. However, he assured the quality of health services provided from Dharumavantha Hospital. He said the 25-storey hospital was constructed neither with instructions from the ministry nor after holding discussions with ministry.
Furthermore, the committee raised concerns that State Trading Organisation (STO) is being handed over attaining equipment required for health services without bidding. Answering the concerns, minister expressed in 2014 an agreement was signed with STO to seek medical consumables and equipment. However, he said a regulation or a policy to strengthen the bidding process has not been formulated.
Noting the health sector of the whole country is very challenging, the minister described budget issues as the biggest challenge to solve the issues at hand.