Pakistan and Maldives in Talks to Build Medical College and Teaching Hospital in Hulhumalé

Consultations are under way between the Maldives and Pakistan to establish a comprehensive medical college and teaching hospital in Hulhumalé, Pakistan's Ambassador to the Maldives, Vice Admiral (Retired) Faisal Rasool Lodhi, has said. Speaking on Sun Online's "Diplomatic Focus" programme, the Ambassador said the Maldives' health sector needs a large number of doctors, and that to find a permanent solution to this, consultations are being held with the Maldives Government and the Maldives National University (MNU) to build a fully equipped medical college and teaching hospital in Hulhumalé. He noted that because this is a high-cost project, work is being done to arrange funding with the assistance of the private sector in addition to the governments of the two countries. The Ambassador, noting that Pakistan also helped establish a medical school in the Maldives in 2017, said three batches have so far graduated from that school and more than 80 Maldivian doctors have been trained, which he described as a great satisfaction for both countries. In addition, the Ambassador said that as a way to broaden the assistance provided in the education sector, the number of scholarships provided by Pakistan to Maldivian students has now been increased. He said that although previously four or five opportunities were provided per year, this year the number has been increased to between 12 and 15, and that in the coming years the number will increase significantly further. Alongside this, he also disclosed that 20 universities will participate under Pakistan's Higher Education Commission in the "Wara" exhibition to be held in the Maldives next November. The Ambassador said that through this exhibition, opportunities for full and subsidized scholarships will be opened to Maldivian youth in modern fields such as medicine, artificial intelligence (AI), computer science, engineering and maritime education.