Construction has officially begun on a Central Cold Chain Facility to safely store medicines, vaccines and medical supplies needed by the Maldivian healthcare sector.

Health Minister Gheela Ali laid the foundation for the facility, which is being developed with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under its Responsive COVID-19 Vaccination for Recovery project.

The facility will house administrative operations of the Health Protection Agency (HPA), the Mental Health Department and several health sector regulatory boards and councils.

The Health Ministry said the facility will reduce the cost of renting storage spaces, ease pressure on the State budget and provide a long-term solution to space constraints while improving administrative efficiency.