Minister: Basic cancer treatment, including radiotherapy, will launch at multi-specialty hospital by 2028

Health Minister Geela Ali told the Parliament on Tuesday that the multiple-specialty hospital set to be built in Hulhumale’ Phase II will begin offering basic diagnostic services and treatment for cancer, including radiotherapy services, by 2028.

In his presidential address in February, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu announced plans to develop a 500-bed multi-specialty hospital in Hulhumale’ Phase II. He said that the hospital would have an advanced oncology unit, complete with a radiation chamber.

The announcement offered hope for the hundreds of cancer patients in the country, who currently need to travel overseas for radiotherapy.

Geela, who was summoned to the Parliament in the morning, was questioned by North Galolhu MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu) regarding progress on the hospital.

Responding to the question, Geela said that the Maldives has over 2,000 patients who either received or continue to receive treatment for cancer.

The most common types of cancer in the Maldives includes breast cancer, oral cancer, lung cancer and ovarian cancer.

“53 males and 67 women were diagnosed with cancer in 2025 alone,” she said. “Based on these statistics alone, establishing a specialized hospital for cancer treatment is something the government is carrying out as a matter of high priority.”

Geela said that the government was working on developing the hospital, which is set to offer not just oncology services, but also maternal and child healthcare services.

She said that the hospital will be built in phases, and that basic oncology services, including radiotherapy, will commence by 2028.

“This project will be carried out in phases, and all basic treatments and diagnostic services for cancer, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, PET CT and other such services, will be available from this facility by 2028,” she said.

While the Maldives offers chemotherapy services at Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), Hulhumale’ Hospital, and a couple of hospitals in the atolls, it does not offer radiotherapy, forcing cancer patients who need it to travel overseas for treatment.

President Muizzu told reporters in April that his administration’s target was to begin construction work on the multi-specialty hospital in the middle of this year. However, practical works have yet to commence.

According to a report compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020, cancer accounts for 17 percent of deaths in the Maldives.

Research shows that 40 percent of cancers are linked to unhealthy lifestyles choices such as smoking and other avoidable factors.