President Muizzu Announces State-Funded Mental Health Hospital to be Built in Malé

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced that the Maldives government will fund the construction of a dedicated mental health hospital in Malé using the state budget. The decision comes in response to a rising demand for psychiatric support and the urgent need to provide timely mental health services to the population. The project is a strategic shift to bypass delays associated with foreign loan procedures. President Muizzu explained that while the administration had previously sought international financing for a mental health facility in Gan, Laamu Atoll, the lengthy bureaucratic process had stalled progress. To address the immediate crisis, the government has opted to prioritize the Malé facility through domestic funding. Crucially, the President clarified that the new Malé hospital will not replace the planned facility in Gan. The Laamu Atoll project remains under consideration, pending the finalization of necessary financing. Land has already been secured in the capital for the new hospital, which is expected to mirror the scale of the Gan project, which was designed for a 14,000-square-foot site with an estimated cost of USD 18 million. Highlighting the scale of the need, the President shared data from the national health insurance scheme, Aasandha. Between January 1 and April 23, 10,954 individuals sought psychiatric consultations and psychological therapy. This surge in numbers underscores the necessity of dedicated infrastructure to manage mental health crises more effectively. Beyond the construction of the new hospital, the administration is working to expand mental health services across the various atolls. The goal is to ensure that accessibility to psychiatric care is not limited to the capital, but is integrated into the healthcare framework of islands nationwide.