Maldives to decentralize therapy services for children with disabilities
Expansion targets longstanding healthcare gap outside capital, where access to speech and occupational therapy has remained limited for years
MALE, Maldives (MNTV) — The Maldives has launched a nationwide effort to expand access to therapeutic services for children with disabilities, seeking to address longstanding inequalities in healthcare availability between the capital and the country’s outlying islands.
For years, essential services such as speech, behavioral and occupational therapy have been concentrated almost entirely in Male, leaving families in the outer atolls facing high costs, long travel times and limited treatment options. Health officials say the imbalance has particularly affected children, who account for the overwhelming majority of therapy recipients.
According to government data, nearly 98% of those receiving therapeutic care are children, for whom early intervention is critical for cognitive development, communication skills and long-term independence. Limited access outside the capital has often delayed or disrupted treatment, especially for families with lower incomes.
The scale of demand is reflected in rising public expenditure. The National Social Protection Agency disbursed more than $480,000 for therapy-related services in a single month, underscoring both the financial strain on the state and the unmet needs across the archipelago.
In response, authorities have begun integrating therapeutic care into regional public hospitals. Speech therapy services have recently been introduced in hospitals in Haa Alifu Atoll and Ungoofaaru, marking some of the first attempts to move specialized care beyond the capital. Officials say demand for these services has been immediate and high.
The Ministry of Health has also announced plans to recruit 40 additional therapists to support the expansion. Alongside short-term staffing measures, the government is preparing a national training program aimed at developing a local workforce of 250 Maldivian therapists, reducing reliance on foreign professionals who currently make up a significant share of specialists in the sector.
Health policy analysts note that decentralizing care is a persistent challenge for small island states, where specialized services are often clustered in urban centers due to costs, staffing shortages and infrastructure constraints.
In the Maldives, where communities are spread across nearly 200 inhabited islands, access to consistent healthcare remains closely tied to geography.
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