All islands to get labs, general testing this year

Health Minister Abdulla Nazim has announced that laboratories will be established in all inhabited islands by the end of the year, with lab technicians appointed and equipped for general testing. 

Nazim stated this in an appearance on the 'Tharujamaanaa Eku' [With the Spokesperson] podcast, where he shared updates on efforts to expand health services across the atolls. 

Nazim assured that medical treatments will be made available on islands, adding that the government's aim is to strengthen diagnostic services. 

Healthcare begins with a sturdy diagnostic system, the minister said, emphasizing the importance of a diagnostic system which has public confidence. 

"If there is no trust in the diagnosis system, then no one will have confidence in the prescriptions written. The result is, we cannot talk about the health system without addressing the diagnosis system," the Minister said. 

Nazim revealed that work is ongoing to set up laboratories even in islands with small populations. When this administration came to office, 76 islands lacked laboratories, the minister said, leading to basic testing being made available there under point of care. 

In its second year in office, the government aimed to establish laboratories in all islands. This would come to fruition by the end of the year, the Minister estimates, expressing confidence that by year end, laboratories will be set up, lab technicians hired, and general testing facilitated. 

"The government has decided to establish physical laboratories in all islands of Maldives by the end of 2026, to have appointed lab technologists there, and to provide all basic services from these labs," Nazim said. 

Under this initiative, four laboratories were opened across various islands even over the past month, he said. 

Nazim went on to say that while the government develops urban centres, this will include development of health services as well. These locations would be equipped with CT scan machines and other such services, he said. 

With broader health services introduced across the atolls, the demand for services at IGMH will decrease, leading to shorter queues and faster service, he said.