An agreement has been signed with China to seek a contractor to start the construction of the China-Maldives Friendship Hospital in Villimale'.

Construction Minister Abdulla Muththalib and Chinese Embassy Counselor Zhang Xu signed the agreement on Monday (January 19).

The Construction Ministry said the tender process to appoint a contractor for the tertiary hospital project will begin soon under the agreement.

The ministry hopes to start the project in the third quarter of this year.

The 12,890-square-metre tertiary hospital will have 112 beds and will include outpatient and emergency care services, areas for diagnosis and treatment, medical wards and administrative offices.

A project management consultant team from China Northeast Architectural Design and Research Institute Co. Ltd. arrived in the Maldives last month to conduct the survey and design of the hospital.

The government previously said the project would begin in 2024 and has not commented on the delays.