Category: News in Brief

Nine children with thalassemia die every year

Nine children with thalassemia on average die in the Maldives every year, the National Thalassemia Centre has revealed.

A press release issued by the centre last week on the occasion of the World Thalassemia Day states that on average 28 child with the inherited blood disease were registered at centre every year for the past five, while six of them on average passed away each year, according to Haveeru.

Moreover, 18 percent of the population in the country were thalassemia carriers. The centre has registered 694 children since its formation 16 years ago.

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Gayoom awarded SunFM ‘Personality of the Year’

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was awarded the SunFM ‘Personality of the Year’ at a ceremony on Wednesday night.

Gayoom received 44 per cent of the SMS vote, with his former deputy Ahmed Thasmeen Ali coming second with 31 percent.

In other categories, business magnate Champa Hussein Afeef was voted the business personality of the year, actress Mariyam Afeefa the female entertainment personality and singer Muhthar Adam the male entertainment personality of the year.

While the sports awards went to volleyball players Aishath Nazima and Ibrahim Nizar, Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MPs Ahmed Mahlouf and Ali Waheed were chosen as the most popular MPs.

The awards were handed out by SunFM owner and MP Ahmed “SunTravel” Shiyam Mohamed. Shiyam was also a deputy leader of the DRP before he resigned in the wake of Gayoom’s presidential election loss.

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Finance committee issues guidelines for subsidies

The parliamentary finance committee on Wednesday completed guidelines to provide Rf50 million worth of subsidies for fishermen out of this year’s budget.

Speaking to press, MP Ahmed Nazim, chairman of the committee, said the guidelines prepared by the fisheries ministry would be replaced by the committee’s.

The finance committee’s guidelines would grant subsidies based on the size of fishing vessels, with four categories ranging from over 85 feet to below 44 feet.

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NSPA expands health insurance to cover poor

The National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) has said the list of people who received Zakat (alms for the poor) last year will be added to the government’s Madhana health insurance programme, reports Haveeru.

NPSA Chairman Ibrahim Waheed said the list, which includes orphans as well, has been requested at the Islamic ministry and island offices.

Over 30,000 people are registered as eligible for Zakat funds. The list will be verified before registration with Madhana, Waheed said.

Meanwhile, the ministry of fisheries and agriculture has re-opened applications for fishermen and farmers to join Madhana.

The decision was made following a number of requests from fishermen and farmers who missed the earlier deadline, reports Voice of Maldives.

The second round of applications will be open till June, while a verified list of those who applied earlier has been sent to the National Social Protection Agency for registration.

The ministry will pay half of the annual Rf2,000 fee for farmers and fishermen.

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Household expenses survey concluded

The third and final round of a nation-wide household expenses survey has been completed by the department of national planning.

According to Voice of Maldives, 440 households in 11 islands were maintaining expenses diaries for the last stage of the survey.

State Minister for Finance and Treasury Aslam Shakir, currently in charge of the planning department, said the purpose of the survey was to track changes in the price of goods and services for the consumer price index. The survey would also reveal levels of poverty and national productivity.

The results of the study will be compared to a baseline of five years ago. The final report is due in December this year.

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Rf5 million of Zakat allocated for scholarships

The Zakat committee of the Islamic Ministry has decided to use proceeds of the property zakat (alms for the poor) to issue scholarships, Voice of Maldives reports.

State Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed said Rf5 million has been allocated for the scholarships, which will be interest-free and offered for diploma and degree courses.

The scholarships will be awarded to high achievers, students from poor families and others who face financial difficulties in pursuing higher education.

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National Art Gallery functions transferred to National Centre for the Arts

The functions of the National Art Gallery have been transferred to the National Centre for the Arts, operating under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

The National Art Gallery will not be administered separately but as an office of the National Centre for the Arts.

The change was made to eliminate duplication of work by the art gallery and the centre, thus reducing the costs of managing the gallery.

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Police give information sessions at schools in Malé

The Community Engagement and Crime Prevention Department alongside the Traffic Police offered information sessions about crime prevention for teachers and students of several schools, reports Miadhu.

On 27-28 April, students from grades 1-5 of Ghiyaasuddin School were given information on traffic rules and regulations. Police officers showcased the resources used by Traffic Police to students from grades 1-3.

On 25, 27 and 29 April, police held another session at Jamaaluddin School for grade 7 students. They focused on traffic regulations, school behaviour like bullying, and criminal and unethical behaviour on the internet.

Another information session on bullying was held today with teachers at Aminiya School. They were informed about the effects of bullying on children, and how to handle incidents.

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Khalifa Foundation to create Maldives Distance Medical Services

Deputy Chairman of UAE’s Khalifa Foundation, Ahmed Juma Al-Zaabi, signed an agreement with State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Naseem, to grant the Maldives Distance Medical Services, reports Miadhu.

The foundation has many humanitarian initiatives around the world, aiming to fund sustainable projects that create jobs and raise standards of basic services like health and education in aid recipient countries.

The Khalifa bin Zayed Distance Medical Services project will include a network of 35 sites across the Maldives. The nursing department at the faculty of medicine will be named after Sheikh Khalifa.

The project will have a central base and several outposts. Doctors at the main centre will overlook reports made by nurses in the outposts and prescribe treatment. It is expected the service will provide medical attention to over 350,000 persons a year, according to Miadhu.

The grant will train local doctors, technicians and biotechnology specialists.

Chairman of the foundation, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, said the project fits well with the foundation’s strategy to not only assist but build infrastructure which will improve living standards and create jobs.

He added the different outposts would ease the logistics in health care for distant islands.

Minister Naseem said the grant would improve living conditions for thousands of people living in the islands and remote regions of the country which are difficult to access.

It would also train hundreds of medical and nursing staff, Naseem added.

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