Maldives turns to AI to expand mental health services
Island nation hopes AI can help overcome barriers to mental health care and strengthen drug rehabilitation as services remain heavily concentrated around capital
MALÉ, Maldives (MNTV) — The Maldives is turning to artificial intelligence to strengthen its strained mental health and drug rehabilitation services, exploring whether the technology can help assess patients and make support more accessible in a country where specialized care remains concentrated around the capital.
The initiative will initially examine AI-based tools that could assist with mental health assessments and identify ways to expand treatment services.
Officials say particular attention will be given to technologies that are culturally appropriate and practical for Maldivian patients, including people who may be reluctant to openly discuss mental health problems.
The effort is being developed by the Maldives’ National Drug Agency in partnership with China’s Yunnan University, following an agreement signed Thursday.
Beyond developing potential AI applications, the collaboration will include research, technical assistance and specialized training for Maldivian treatment staff.
Abdulla Faseeh, deputy director general of the National Drug Agency, said discussing mental health can be difficult for many people and that AI-assisted assessments could potentially reduce some of those barriers while helping authorities determine where services need to be expanded.
The technology is also expected to be explored for drug treatment and rehabilitation, an area facing continued pressure as the Maldives grapples with widespread narcotics use.
Police recorded 1,738 drug-related cases in the country so far this year, compared with 2,065 during all of 2025. The figures underline the scale of the challenge in a nation of scattered islands where providing specialized treatment outside major population centers can be difficult.
Access to mental health care presents a similar geographical problem.
More than 70,000 mental health consultations were recorded across the Maldives over the previous three years, according to figures Health Minister Geela Ali presented to Parliament in June. About 45,000 of those consultations — nearly two-thirds of the national total — took place in the Malé region.
The concentration reflects the limited availability of specialized mental health facilities elsewhere in the archipelago, leaving people living on more distant islands with fewer options for accessing care.
The government is separately planning a dedicated mental health hospital in Hulhumalé, near the capital, with a 10,000-square-foot site allocated for the facility.
Authorities have not yet detailed which specific AI systems will be deployed or when patients could begin using them.
The first stage will instead focus on determining which technologies can realistically be adapted to the Maldives before they are incorporated into existing mental health and drug rehabilitation services.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
