President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu announced last night that the Male' City Group of Hospitals (MCGH) is to be dissolved, and replaced with Maldives Tertiary Hospitals Group. 

Speaking on State TV PSM's Nation Chat podcast, President Muizzu said that the decision was made so as to improve the quality of health care, strengthen the management of the health sector, and to reduce expenditure. 

According to the President, the change will enhance health sector management through removing agencies that duplicate functions and will also facilitate the integration of all existing government tertiary hospitals, as well as those currently under development. 

The purpose of this is to share resources between hospitals, as well as doctors' technical services, he said. This, he believes, will contribute towards improving the quality of care offered to the public. 

The president emphasized that improving the health sector is a leading priority of the government. He announced that development of tertiary hospitals in various areas of the country is proceeding swiftly. 

Alongside this, the government is also working on improving the quality of atoll hospitals and island health centres, the president said. This is being done with the aim of ensuring citizens are able to seek necessary health care directly on the islands or atolls they reside in, he explained. 

The president projects that the tertiary hospitals will be brought under a consolidated management framework under this new system within the next three or four months. 

The President said the government also plans to introduce policies to maximize the utilization of local doctors trained under government sponsorship, while creating avenues for foreign specialists to be based in-country to facilitate greater participation. 

The government is also working diligently on minimizing the need for patients to travel abroad for treatment, he added.