Dr. Mohamed Faisal, the inaugural Maldivian neonatologist, has started seeing patients at the Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in Male’ City.

Faisal, a physician with twenty years of experience, was employed as a pediatrician at Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital when he submitted his application for a government-supported training initiative in 2022. He dedicated the following two years to intense training in Sri Lanka as a neonatologist.

In 2025, F. Nilandhoo returned to the Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital as the nation’s first neonatologist following his training.

IGMH declared on Monday that Faisal has started providing consultations at the national governmental hospital.

Neonatology is a distinct branch of pediatrics dedicated to the medical care of the smallest and most fragile patients - ill or preterm newborns.

Neonatologists handle intricate issues such as respiratory difficulties, infections, birth defects, and low birth weight, providing delicate newborns with specialized care for their health and development from birth through their initial weeks.

In a prior interview with Sun, Faisal highlighted that healthcare for premature infants is an essential service.

He stated that because of several factors, such as lifestyle changes and advancing maternal age, premature births have been rising and are anticipated to keep rising.

He emphasized that this increases the importance of developing the neonatology service.