A loan agreement has been signed between the Government of Maldives and the Kuwait Fund for the development of hospitals in small islands. 

The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development will be providing 3,000,000 Kuwaiti dinars (MVR 150 million) for the “Small Islands Hospital Project”, a project aiming to improve healthcare in the smaller islands of the country.

The agreement was signed by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Mohamed Shafeeq on behalf of the Government of Maldives, and by the Acting Director General, Waleed Al-Bahar, on behalf of the Kuwait Fund.

The Ministry of Finance said the project aims to improve the quality of health services in small islands in the north and south of Maldives.

The ministry stated that the project also aims to reduce transportation costs for the citizens that travel far for health services, decentralize health services for the locals and tourists alike, and provide secondary health care at the most appropriate time.

The ministry detailed that hospital development will cover construction, electrotechnical work, medical equipment, furniture, and the preparation of drawings, tender documents, and engineering services and project implementation unit to manage the development plans.