An elderly man named Ali Waheed living in Villingili, a residential island that is the fifth district of Male’, has claimed he had to carry his wife to hospital in a garbage cart after the island’s health centre said there was no ambulance available “because it was Friday”.
“I called the police and asked for help, but they said all their vehicles had been damaged and taken Male to repair,’’ Waheed said. “The health centre said that because it was Friday there was no doctor or health worker available, and when asked if one could be made available as it was an urgent case, they said it was not the health centre’s policy.’’
Waheed’s house is located near the garbage pile on the island, and he found a wheel-cart nearby which was used to carry trash.
“I carried my wife on the wheel-cart to the Villingili-Male’ ferry and wheeled her to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).”
Waheed said he had informed Health Minister Aiminath Jameel of the incident by “sending more than 50 text messages to her mobile phone.”
“But so far she has not responded to any of those texts. It is very sad that this is the current situation in Villinigili,” he added.
He said doctors and other staff working at the health centre were themselves frustrated due to low wages and because they did not receive any overtime payments.
“They are frustrated and it affects the citizens of Villingili,” he said.
Minivan News spoke to Director of Villingili Health Centre Ahmed Zahir, who said that while Waheed had asked if an ambulance was available to take his wife to the ferry terminal, staff were not made aware that her condition was urgent.
Zahir said an ambulance and doctors were available on Fridays in urgent cases, but said there had been recent cases of the ambulance being called to carry boxes to the ferry terminal in lieu of a taxi.
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To the Ahmed Zahir: Shouldn't you assume that it was an urgent matter when someone asked for an Ambulance.
Welcome to the Other Maldives.
As far as I know all countries that have paramedics charge for the use of ambulances.
This is what Maldives should do too. They should replace all these foreign imported drivers and helpers and use trained para-medics and make it more professional and bill them for the usage.
Now there would be people who cannot pay this so make it more affordable so that this would be used in only in emergency cases.
So if it was fire for example and people call to local 911? it is look like answer will be like that: sorry we cannot send firefighting team because is friday and we are busy with barbecue party?
From the article:
Director of Villingili Health Centre Ahmed Zahir, who said that while Waheed had asked if an ambulance was available to take his wife to the ferry terminal, staff were not made aware that her condition was urgent.
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So anyone calling for an Ambulance needs to say it's Urgent?!!!
Can someone please sack that Director of Vilingili Health Service.
Why don't you all call these VANs there are no ambulances here ... Suppose you fix a bottle of oxygen on a garbage cart and call it an abulance ... Bravo to the government ..
If Mr. Ali Waheeds’s wife was in critical condition he should gone to Vilingili health center. Why make a trip to Male’. The problem with us, we expect too much from the government. We all need a welfare state like most of Scandinavian countries. Also we oppose to pay taxes too.
There is something wrong with us! We also like to be negative in all respect of our life.
911? Ambulance? western medicine?
All Kuffaara! all Non believers activities. Instead why don't you all go to mosques, and pray, 18 hours a day. Don't come out!
all lies, president nasheed has said health care has improved because of corporatisation
hehehe
Dear Hassan Ahmed,
Ali Waheed planned to take his wife to the Villingili Health Centre, but they refused to call a doctor for her, as stated in the report. That's why he finally had to go to Male'.
BUT - of course he did ot wheel her to IGMH finally! (how can he, across the sea?!) The ferry service stopped operation during Friday noon time, so he had to hire a boat to Male', after trying to get her into VHC.
Why didn't the health centre ask Ali Waheed to bring his wife to them first where they could see her first and then send her to IGMH with a medical attendant if it was infact an emergency. If an ambulance is called and it turns out not to be an emergency, then the caller will be charged for the premium services at premium rates. This is how it happens in civilised countries...
Yes the MDP, their hired commenter Hassan Ahmed and Minivan is being exceptionally cruel in this instance.
This country is NOT more advanced (or "civilized") in certain aspects when compared to western or European states. That is not hard to figure out and no one is challenging that fact. Also, there is nothing wrong about being less advanced as our economy is smaller and our peasant population was allowed primary education only a few decades ago.
However, we elect a government to provide us with awareness programs, better education, better healthcare and no government-sponsored commenting on public forums.
@ tsk tsk: well said....! Hassan Ahmed is too obvious and with his blabla
Given the number of such incidents in teh last few years and helth related issues in the country, it is now time for Health Minister to Resign... please!!
Thank you Anni for the excellent Health system. We will reward you at the upcoming presidential election.
FRIDAY IS A FREE DAY FOR ANGELS IN HEAVEN. it is also freeday for moslem in the world. it is too complicated to most moslem countries
i think something is wrong with this man. expecting too much..if it's an emergency iam sure the staffs in VHC will call the doctor..some people in vilgili just simply call vhc to get anbulance just to go to the feryy..even this man Ali waheed called and said he wanted to go ferry terminal..if its and emergency why he is going to ferry terminal at first..he can come to vhc..if he just wants to go ferry he can call to a taxi instead...some times people call to ambulance and say emergency...and when vhc send the ambulace they say they did not get a vehicle and they r going for a picnic..so wanted to get the things to ferry..so you people should be thankful as vhc anbulance is not taking any money for the service unlike other hopitals..shame on you people talking like this without knowing the truth.
aIminath, you did not get it. He DID try to get his wife to the VHC to treat her there, but he first needed a vehicle to do that. ambulance, taxi, not even police vehicle was available.
He DID ask for a doctor at the VHC, BUT TEY REFUSED.
They REFUSED TO CALL A DOCTOR FOR HIS WIFE, that's the main point in this article.
No doctor, no vehicles at Friday noon time.
Mr. Ali Waheed firend, iam sure if it's a real so called emergency anyone will take his or her relative to the nearest health care provider instead of crossing the sea and bringing to male'.
The point u noted here is VHC people refused to call the doctor. How can they call the doctor when they have not seen the patient. The system in VHC on friday's are when anyone comes with an emergency and when the nurses in VHC see the patient, then they call the oncall doctor. so how can the staffs call the doc without seeing the patient.
oncall doctors can attend the patient very soon when the nurses call them as their accomodation is in VHC. so i don't think in real emergency they will refuse to call the doc.
If a person calls health center ambulance to ferry his family members to the ferry terminal without mentioning the circumstances then he should know the ambulances are not meant for local transport.. Being miser doesn't clarify his stand.. Ridiculous on the part of a responsible citizen..Give me a break........
and please ask that person to refrain from lies at least in this holy month of Ramadan and don't take the staff of VHC for granted.. they are so helpful to the people.. they never refuse to send ambulance for emergency... its a big lie on the part of patient...
this is a full exaggerated story...as per i know even on Fridays ambulance and doctors are available as on call...if it was an emergency he should have taken her to the health center first.there are taxis also available in villingili..y didnt he calld a taxi
Honestly, some of your comments piss me off.
First of all, I agree with the people wo said Ahmed Zahir should be sacked. A child would better understand that when a person calls for an ambulance, its urgent- and it ought to be treated that way unless observed otherwise by a trained medical professional(usually called doctors).
Second, its not Anni's fault the hospital refused to send the ambulance. How was he to know Mr.Waheed asked for an ambulance? But, if Anni does not take proper action regarding this case- against the (very pompous voiced)Mr.Zahir, and the staff/s who handled the call, I would hold him as an irresponsible president.
Third, I believe that the person who should take full responsibilty of what happened is the person/s who answered the phone, and said ambulance was unavailable(I work at IGMH, and I know some-not all, but some- of these things can happen solely because of a single person who mishandles a phonecall or dismisses a patient as not serious without consulting a higher up. The hospital should see that all their staff handles each and every case seriously. Proper action must be taken against those that do not.
Also, when the hospital *****up like this, it would be a good idea for the managing director, or whoever is in charge, to apologize instead of trying to justify their wrong-doings.
Also, moosa, you sound like an ******* with your smartass comment. When a loved one is sick, a person is worried. When they call an ambulance for said loved one, they expect the call to be responded. As for taxi, maybe he could not get hold of one. If he could, I hardly think he would have resorted to a cart- who would want to put wives in rubbish-carts if they had any other option?(unless, ofcourse, they are psychos, and Mr. Waheed did not strike me as one)
All the above being said, if Miss.Aminath is right, and if Mr.Waheed did indeed ask for an ambulance to be sent so that his wife can be taken to the ferry terminal, then, I must agree with the hospital's decision to refuse the vehicle.
I really don't think the person who received or answered the phone should take any responsibility..she don't have to send ambulance( when the ambulance driver is on call on a Friday ) for these kind of people asking to send ambulance to go ferry terminal. This is not a taxi center and also she is not a telephone operator in a taxi center. Mr. Waheed should be specific when he is calling to get an ambulance. Just like that when he says he wants to go to ferry terminal its impossible to send ambulance.
so over all here the issue is not that he did not get the ambulance. i feel that the issue here is he did not get a taxi to go the ferry.