Minister of Health, Family and Welfare Geela Ali has stated that the government's primary goal is to arrange for treatment to be available in Maldivian hospitals for major illnesses for which citizens currently seek care abroad.

The Minister made these remarks while responding to a question asked by PNC MP for the Inguraidhoo constituency, Ibrahim Falah, regarding government efforts to strengthen the private sector so citizens can receive treatment domestically, thereby reducing medical travel overseas.

The Minister stated that while the state incurs significant expenses providing medical care abroad under the Aasandha scheme, facilitating easier healthcare access for citizens on home soil is a key government priority. In that regard, she added that the government has increased spending to strengthen the local private healthcare sector.

"The main objective is to reduce the need for citizens to travel abroad for medical treatment and enable them to receive care on their home soil near their families," the Minister said.

Looking at statistics over the past three years, the Minister noted that while spending abroad and on the domestic private sector in 2023 was lower than in 2024, spending rose to MVR 403 million in 2024.

"The outcome of investing in the private sector is seen in the growing public trust in services provided by private hospitals in the Maldives, leading citizens to seek treatment locally instead of traveling abroad," she added.