The Government of Maldives has signed a loan agreement worth approximately USD 9.7 million with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) to finance the development of a new hospital in Veymandoo, Thaa Atoll, strengthening healthcare infrastructure and improving access to essential medical services in the region.
The agreement was signed during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises. Minister of Finance Hassan Zareer signed the agreement on behalf of the Maldivian Government, while KFAED Acting Director General Rashed Al-Bader signed on behalf of the Kuwait Fund. The Minister of Health, Family and Welfare and senior officials from KFAED were also present at the ceremony.
The financing will support the construction of a modern hospital in Veymandoo, designed to enhance the availability of quality healthcare services for communities across Thaa Atoll. The project forms part of the Government’s broader efforts to strengthen regional healthcare facilities and ensure that people living outside the capital have improved access to essential and secondary-level medical services closer to their homes.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Zareer expressed the Government’s appreciation to Kuwait and KFAED for their continued contribution to the economic and social development of the Maldives. He highlighted that the project represents an investment not only in physical infrastructure, but also in the health, well-being and long-term prosperity of Maldivian communities.
The Minister emphasised that expanding access to quality and equitable healthcare remains a key priority of the Government, particularly given the geographical nature of the Maldives, where communities are dispersed across numerous islands. Strengthening healthcare facilities in regional population centres is expected to improve service delivery while reducing the challenges faced by patients who currently need to travel long distances for treatment.
KFAED Acting Director General Rashed Al-Bader said the agreement represents the fund’s 15th loan to the Maldives and its first financing initiative in the country’s healthcare sector. He reaffirmed KFAED’s commitment to supporting areas that contribute directly to the Maldives’ national development and expressed hope that the new hospital would develop into a reliable healthcare centre serving communities throughout the region.
The primary objective of the project is to provide residents of Thaa Atoll with convenient access to high-quality healthcare services and to strengthen the decentralised delivery of secondary-level medical care. Once completed, the hospital is expected to enable more patients to receive timely treatment within the atoll, reducing the need to travel to Malé and helping families avoid significant travel and accommodation expenses associated with seeking medical care in the capital.
The enhanced healthcare capacity is also expected to support the wider development of Thaa Atoll by improving essential public services available to local communities. In addition to serving residents, the upgraded healthcare infrastructure is expected to benefit visitors and tourists travelling to resorts and other destinations in the region, contributing to greater confidence in the availability of dependable medical services.
The project reflects the Government’s continuing focus on expanding public services and strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the atolls, while the latest cooperation with KFAED further reinforces the longstanding development partnership between the Maldives and Kuwait.
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