Addu Equatorial Hospital (AEH) CEO Ibrahim Yasir said today that the hospital did not receive the required final proposals from shortlisted parties to operate the Addu Cath Lab, and the hospital plans to explore alternative models to finally run the facility.

In June, AEH opened applications seeking a party to manage the catheterization laboratory, a critical cardiac care unit nearly one and a half years after the facility had been set up.

The application deadline on June 29 attracted seven interested parties from both local and international organizations.

At the time, the hospital announced that services could begin by October once an operator was selected.

However, despite the selection of applicants eligible to submit final proposals, Yasir said no party submitted the required documents by the deadline set for the final stage. As a result, the opportunity has now been cancelled.

“After appointing the parties to move forward, we gave them a deadline to submit the final proposal. The documents were not sent within that period,” Yasir said.

“Discussions have now begun on another model to run the Cath Lab. We are currently assessing models that can be managed internally by Addu Equatorial Hospital.”

The Cath Lab, established in October 2023 during the administration of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, remains unused to date.

Yasir previously stated that once operational, the Cath Lab would provide angiography, as well as invasive and non-invasive cardiac procedures, significantly reducing the need for patients in the southern region to travel to Male' for heart-related treatment.