MNU initially decided to change class venues for med school students to allow for more space for patient services in Dharumavantha Hospital. The decision has now been reversed by President Dr Muizzu after hearing the concerns of the students.
After listening to the concerns of medical students at Maldives National University (MNU), President Dr Mohamed Muizzu announced yesterday that students would be able to continue their training at Dharumavantha Hospital in Malé City as they do now.
Concerns over the venue of MNU School of Medicine classes arose when the university decided to change all med school classes from Dharumavantha Hospital to its main campus.
The decision was met with immediate dissatisfaction and concerns from students, which the university defended by reminding the public that Dharumavantha Hospital was always a temporary location for the classes since they commenced in 2018.
MNU also explained that the decision was made to free up space at the hospital to expand services provided to the public.
However, MNU's Student Union escalated the matter to the President's Office via letter on April 23. This prompted a meeting with the Strategic Communication Minister of the President's Office and other key stakeholders as well as members of the Student Union, which was held three days later on April 26.
After the discussions, President Muizzu assured students that their concerns would be addressed and that arrangements would be made to ensure that their studies would not be affected, the President's Office said in a statement.
"The Student Union and representatives of the School of Medicine students have stated that they have always been confident that the President would listen and work to provide the best solution to the suggestions of the students seeking higher education, and that the President's decision today has strengthened that confidence and assurance," the statement published on the President's Office website reads.
The President's Office also said that President Muizzu attaches great importance to bringing the best possible changes in matters related to students and improving healthcare services within the means of the state's income, wealth and circumstances.
As such, efforts are currently underway to establish a special building equipped with the most modern facilities with research capacity for MNU's School of Medicine, President's Office said.
On the same note, the government will also continue working on increasing space and bed capacity for patients at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and Dharumavantha Hospital as soon as possible, while also introducing additional services in both hospitals within feasible means.
IGMH is currently the largest government healthcare facility, providing tertiary level healthcare in the Maldives with 390 beds. Dharumavantha Hospital is a 25- storey building located right next to IGMH, which also provides specialised care to patients.
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