Upgrade of Reproductive Health Centre to a First-of-its-kind Facility in Hulhumale Taken-up By UNFPA

A much-needded upgrade for the Reproductive Health Centre at Hulhumale Hospital has been inaugurated in a special ceremony held yesterday.  
 
In partnership with UNFPA, the centre will be upgraded to a one-stop facility fully fledged with people-centred, youth-focused comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, a first-of-its-kind within one location in Hulhumale. Sexual reproductive health is an essential element of progressive development and the right to bodily autonomy - especially for adolescents, young women and girls in planning out their own life path. 
 
This milestone at HMH will greatly help in reducing unmet needs for contraception; reduce preventable maternal deaths; and reduce gender-based violence and harmful practices, such as child marriage and female genital mutilation.  
 
It is noteworthy that the centre currently advocates on essential reproductive health services to adolescents, particularly young women and girls, those with disabilities and other marginalised groups - ensuring that they are not forgotten during service provision. 
 
This initiative by UNFPA under the National Strategic Action plan is a positive boost to the recovery from the greater underlying issues that were heightened with Covid19 pandemic in the Maldives. UNFPA strives to support the government’s efforts to strengthen the sexual reproductive health programme in the Maldives, including providing technical support to building capacity of health professionals, public health workers and undertaking research.