Pakistan donates USD 5 mn to establish a medical college in Maldives

The government of Pakistan has donated USD 5 million (MVR 77.1 million) to establish a medical college in Maldives.

“Sun” has been informed the donation was handed over to Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Maldives one day prior to former Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s recent visit to Maldives.

Establishing a medical college had been discussed as far back as 2010, when the government at the time pondered establishing a university and medical college in L. Gan.

A delegation from Sri Lanka visited Maldives in 2013 to conduct a feasibility study on a medical college in Maldives. Relevant authorities met with officials from Maldives National University two years later to hold discussions based on the results of the feasibility study.

Former PM Nawaz Sharif during his official visit to Maldives to celebrate the 52nd Independence Day of Maldives pledged the assistant of the Pakistani government to establish a medical college in Maldives.

He also announced that the Pakistani government has made the decision to increase the number of scholarship opportunities awarded to Maldivian students in the fields of medicine, engineering, pharmacy and dentistry.

Minister of Health of Maldives, Abdulla Nazim had announced in May that officials from Pakistan had conducted a feasibility study on establishing a medical college in Maldives, and that the results of the study had been favorable.

The government of Maldives and government of Pakistan signed several Memorandums of Understanding last Tuesday, through which it was agreed Pakistan would send its medical doctors to work in Maldives, and that Maldivian medical students in Pakistan would be given special rates.