High Commissioner: Maldives and Pakistan discussing a medical college and teaching hospital in Hulhumale’

Discussions are currently underway between the Maldives and Pakistan to establish a full-fledged medical college and teaching hospital in Hulhumalé, says Vice Admiral (Retired) Faisal Rasul Lodhi, the Pakistani High Commissioner to the Maldives.

Speaking on Sun Online’s Diplomatic Focus program, Lodhi highlighted the high demand for healthcare professionals due to the Maldives’ geographical dispersion.

Addressing plans to meet this need, Lodhi stated that discussions are ongoing with the Maldivian government and the Maldives National University (MNU) to construct a large-scale medical facility.

"There are plans in which to establish a full-fledged medical college, a larger scale medical college, which would be able to meet the requirement of Maldives indigenously," he said.

"It’s a huge project if you want to have a full-fledged medical college and a teaching hospital also. So, you’re talking of tens of millions of dollars. How would we generate those funds? We are working together and let’s see. It will be, I think, some contribution from the private sector also, some by both the governments, added Lodhi, noting the financial scope of the initiative.

Recalling Pakistan’s support in establishing the first school of medicine in the Maldives in 2017, Lodhi expressed deep satisfaction with the progress achieved since.

"Three classes have passed out, if I'm not wrong. More than 80 or 90 doctors, Maldivian doctors, they have now been trained from there. So that's very satisfying, I think, for both sides to see this progress," he remarked.

Furthermore, Lodhi emphasized that educational collaboration is expanding rapidly, with a notable increase in scholarships offered to Maldivian students across diverse fields.

"Previously, like four to five students were going every year. From this year onwards, the number has increased to like 12 to 15. And from next year, we expect to have many more Maldivian students availing these scholarships and higher education in Pakistan," he said.

He also added that about 20 Pakistani universities under the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan will participate in the upcoming Vara Expo, a national skills and career expo set to kick off in the Maldives in November.

 He said that the delegation will offer both full and subsidized scholarships, expanding beyond traditional medical degrees into modern disciplines such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), computer science, engineering, and specialized fields such as maritime education