The Minister of Health Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim has revealed that the direct administrative transfer of numerous island health facilities to the Ministry of Health, designed to tackle long-standing systemic issues, has already yielded positive improvements in administrative management.
A primary challenge identified by the government was a critical disconnect between local health centres and the central Ministry, often hindering efficient service delivery, resource allocation, and oversight. To address this, the administrative framework has been fundamentally altered, bringing these facilities under the direct purview of the Ministry's headquarters.
“The biggest concern of some health service providers in the islands is the lack of relationship with the main body of the health system,” he said, elaborating on the rationale.
The Minister emphasised that the new model is about empowerment, explaining that some island health facilities should work directly, not just with the Ministry of Health, but directly with the headquarters of the central government to empower them.
This centralisation means all administrative functions—including budgeting, staffing, and procurement—for these facilities will now be managed directly by the Ministry. A key operational change is that health centres in smaller populations will now submit requests and reports directly to the Ministry, rather than through an intermediary service provider in the atoll, potentially speeding up response times and reducing bureaucratic delays.
Minister Nazim expressed strong confidence in the initiative, describing it as a strong step taken in consultation. To ensure a smooth transition, the Ministry is currently providing training for health service providers in the atolls to acclimatise them to the new, centralised system.