Geela: Land allocated from Hulhumale’ for mental health hospital

Health Minister Geela Ali states a land plot from Hulhumalé has been earmarked for the development of a government-funded mental health hospital.

Responding to a question by North Galolhu MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudoo) during Tuesday’s parliamentary sitting, the Minister detailed that a 10,000 square feet plot has been allocated for the project.

Minister Geela underscored that the delivery of comprehensive mental healthcare services depends on the availability of specialized professionals from a range of disciplines within the mental health sector.

"The decision to establish this hospital in the Male’ area is based on the concentration of existing resources in the capital. Furthermore, essential diagnostic tests and various specialized treatments required for these patients are currently centralized within this region," Minister Geela explained.

On April 27^th, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu announced that the government would be financing the mental health hospital through the state budget following the failure to secure a foreign loan.

The President noted that while the initial plan was to develop the mental health hospital with foreign assistance, and significant efforts were made to secure such funding, the procedural delays in loan processing hindered the project's commencement.

"Due to the lengthy procedures involved in securing these loans and the urgent need for enhanced mental health support, we have discussed and decided to fund the construction of the mental health hospital directly from the government budget," the President stated.

He added that the government intends to redirect the loan facilities originally sought for the hospital toward other requirements within the healthcare sector.

The mental health hospital was originally planned to be developed in L. Gan.