Category: News in Brief

Thinadhoo accident victim passes away

A 32-year-old man from Gaaf Dhaal Thinadhoo seriously injured in an accident on Sunday has passed away while undergoing treatment in Sri Lanka.

Haveeru reports that Moosa Manik died at the hospital in the early hours of the morning. Severe head injuries caused by the accident had left the victim in a coma. He was flown to Sri Lanka on Sunday night (July 3).

Moosa had been riding a motorcycle in Thinadhoo when he was hit by a police van. Police have issued a press statement today offering their condolences and asking forgiveness from the victim’s family, while also pledging to undertake a full investigation into the matter.

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Allied Insurance claims Maldives first with international health coverage plan

Allied Insurance has claimed to have launched the country’s first international health coverage policy that it says will allow individuals, families and businesses to access hospital services anywhere in the world.

Speaking at a launch ceremony in Male’ yesterday, the company, which has been providing insurance services since 2003, said that the new services will cover up to US$1 million in medical expenses for certain treatments, depending on the package chosen. Allied Insurance said that although it has worked to provide coverage suitable for all types of income, the international coverage have been devised for higher income earners in the country.

The company has claimed that the packages launched this week were accessible to both local people and foreigners in the country and could be added to existing local or regional coverage policies as a top up.

Provision of the services are said to have been made available through a collaboration with London-based international banking organisation Lloyd’s and the US-based Global Assurance Group.

While regional health policies for destinations like Singapore and Sri Lanka have been available for some time in the country, Allied claims that its premium packages will now allow for coverage everywhere in the world including the US and Canada.

Health insurance is becoming an increasingly important issue for state enterprises in the country, with the Maldivian government claiming it is forging ahead with efforts to offer universal coverage for Maldivians.

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Training made mandatory for directors of public enterprises

President Mohamed Nasheed has made it mandatory for directors of public enterprises to complete a ‘Director’s Training Course’ within three months of their appointment.

The specialised course will be conducted by the Institute of Corporate Directors and Secretaries of the Capital Market Development Authority (CMDA) in association with the President’s Office.

All directors currently serving as board members of state-owned enterprises will also be required to pass the course to remain in their posts.

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Police stop over-capacity atoll ferry

Police stopped an atoll ferry from leaving Gaaf Alif Dhaandhoo today with passengers numbers above the legal capacity.

Sun Online reports that Gaaf Alif Atoll Councillor Abdu Salaam was on board at the time. Salaam said that when police counted there were approximately 30 passengers above the 50-person limit.

The councillor explained that the lack of capacity was a recurring problem.

Under the government’s public-private partnership (PPP) policy, the ferry service in the atoll is provided by a private company called Drimex.

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Gasim undecided on coalition with DRP

MP Gasim Ibrahim, leader of the Jumhooree Party (JP), is reportedly undecided over signing a coalition agreement with the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).

The DRP council – not including members of the breakaway Z-DRP faction – unanimously approved entering into a formal coalition with the JP at a meeting last night.

The former presidential candidate told Sun Online that the JP was “not a promiscuous woman” to form a coalition with DRP for the sole reason of resolving the ongoing dispute over control of committees.

He added that the party should consider which faction of the splintered DRP to ally itself with.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Z-DRP MP Ahmed Mahlouf said that the ‘Gayoom faction’ would support Gasim as the leader of the joint opposition coalition instead of DRP Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali.

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No-confidence motion against Male’ Mayor temporarily withdrawn

A no-confidence motion against Male’ City Mayor “Sarangu” Adam Manik tabled in the agenda for today’s city council meeting has been withdrawn.

Haveeru has reported that West Maafanu Councillor Mohamed Falah withdrew his motion as a replacement for Adam Manik, Hulhu-Henveiru Councillor “Maizan” Ali Manik (Alibe), was currently overseas in Japan for an Athletics Association trip.

One of two opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) councillors on the 11-member city council, Ibrahim Shujau, explained that Falah did not want the position to remain vacant until Alibe returned on 12 July

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Education authorities halt extra-curricular activities as dengue fears escalate

Education authorities have stopped short of closing schools despite taking the decision to suspend extra-curricular activities over concerns about the further spread of dengue fever in the country, according to local media reports.

The government yesterday labelled an outbreak of the virus across Male’ and a number of islands as “an epidemic” after drafting the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) into efforts to try and combat the disease spreading.

Concerns have risen after the virus was linked to the death of four children over two days this week.

Amidst concerns about the further spread of the virus, education officials told local media today that they were suspending outdoor camps and other after-school activities in an attempt to minimize infection rates.

According to local newspaper Haveeru, the escalation of concerns about the prevalence of dengue has led to the formation of a makeshift ward at Male’s Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) that consists of 19 beds specifically to treat suspected dengue cases.

The paper has also report added that a four-year old boy hospitalised at IGMH since June 28 was in too serious a condition to be moved abroad for treatment.

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News report links Maldives to Indian health insurance scheme

The Maldives is reportedly among a number of nations showing interest in an Indian health insurance scheme designed to aid workers earning below the poverty line from significant hospital costs.

The India-based Economic Times newspaper on Friday (July 1) quoted Anil Swarup, Director General for Labour Welfare in Delhi, as claiming that delegations from countries like the Maldives, Nigeria and Bangladesh had sought technical guidance on potentially implementing and running the Rashtriya Swastya Bima Yojana (RSBY) scheme in their respective nations.

The claims were made during a state-level workshop on the insurance scheme that was held in India.

RSBY was launched back in 2007 as a partially state-funded insurance plan to protect low earning families in the country by covering medical charges of up to Rs 30,000 (US$642) after the claimant pays a initial Rs30 (US$0.67) registration fee, the news report added. About 25 states in the country are reported to have signed up to the scheme.

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JSC selects panel to appoint new judges

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has selected a panel to interview and vet candidates “to solve problems caused by lack of judges for magistrate courts and superior courts.”

The panel consists of Supreme Court Justice and JSC Chair Adam Mohamed Abdulla, MP Gasim Ibrahim, Judge Abdulla Didi, Attorney General Abdulla Muiz, Lawyers’ Representative Ahmed Rasheed and Member of the Public Shuaib Abdul Rahman.

The panel has been tasked with deciding the number of judges on superior court benches and presenting a report to the commission before 15 August.

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