Three men have been arrested in Fuvahmulah on suspicion of raping an 18-year-old woman, reports local media.
Police revealed that the three suspects – aged 21, 22 and 26 – were taken into custody on Monday (September 1) with arrest warrants issued after the rape was reported on Friday (August 29).
The incident occurred the night before and police are reportedly searching for two additional men suspected of involvement.
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(0)The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) southern area’s fire station together with police and islanders extinguished a fire that broke out in a marshland or swamp area of Fuvahmulah yesterday.
According to MNDF, the fire broke out at around 5:45pm in the marshland between the Malegam and Funad wards of the island – just south of the ‘Bandaara Kilhi’ lake in the north – and was put out around 7:30pm.
Police meanwhile said the fire also caught on screw pine trees in the marshland area. More than 20 officers from the Fuvahmulah station helped put out the flames.
The fire was extinguished before it could cause harm or damage to property, police said.
(0)Dislikes(0)A 24-year old man has died today after falling from a tree in Fuvahmulah Island.
According to local media, Fareed Mohamed, fell head first from a height of 25 feet when the branch he was standing on gave way. The fall reportedly broke his neck.
Mohamed had climbed the tree to pick a purple coloured berry called dhambu.
(0)Dislikes(0)May 31st – June 6th
Following the break-up of the Progressive Coalition, this week saw a resulting adjustment of party affiliations after an initial purge of Jumhooree Party (JP) appointees.
After the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) followed through on threats to remove JP members – the most notable being Transport Minister Ameen Ibrahim – Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim announced his decision to switch to the PPM.
After having picked up three of the five MPs elected as independents since the March elections, the PPM rounded off their new signings this week with Nilandhoo MP Abdulla Khaleel.
This addition brings the party’s parliamentary group up to 38 MPs, giving it a simple majority alongside its remaining ally, the Maldivian Development Alliance.
A final report from the EU’s Majlis election observers this week called for adapted legislation to clear up the issues of jurisdictional overlap and campaign financing which blighted recent polls.
While the Majlis made preparations for the assembly of its standing committees this week, former President Mohamed Nasheed told diplomats in Colombo that a constitutional adjustment to a parliamentary model of governance would resolve the perennial issue of failed coalitions.
Nasheed also made known his intention to stand for the Maldivian Democratic Party leadership in August, prompting senior member ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik to reiterate calls for new leaders to emerge.
The Syrian civil war continued to force itself onto the agenda, literally in the case of an anti-war hacker who infiltrated over 100 hundred government websites in what experts saw as a result of poor security measures.
Less direct threats to the country were depicted by Home Minister Umar Naseer during Martyrs’ Day, suggesting that the country ought to be prepared for “invisible” threats to its nationalism and its faith.
The government’s rhetoric and response to recent news of home-grown jihadis prompted accusations that it was tacitly supporting such activity, as did the invitation of controversial Sheikh Ibrahim Shameem Adam to the police force’s Martyrs’ Day event.
The jihadi Bilad Al Sham Media group continued to reveal details of Maldivians fighting in Syria – mocking the police’s attempts to investigate, while an MoU signed with the UN will see Maldivian troops deployed in peacekeeping missions over the next two years.
Elsewhere, the police launched a special operation to crack down on a spate of robberies while the Supreme Court upheld a prior decision to reinstate an officer dismissed in relation to a rape case.
After investigations into the police’s handling of the Anbaraa, Amnesty International called for an investigation into allegations of brutality, and Hope for Women expressed outrage at the publication of an article in local media which suggested underage girls were voluntarily engaging in prostitution.
The government this week rejected claims of negligence at Fuvahmulah Hospital after a series of disturbing mishaps within a few days.
Responsibility for the failure of Laamu Gan’s sewerage system was also deflected by government departments after the local council accused it of offering on assistance in what it labelled a “health disaster”.
In Malé, the city council revealed it was relying on private donations to pay for pre-Ramadan mosque repairs after the government had failed to provide the required funds.
In other news, the President’s Office assured that asylum seekers breaching Maldivian law abroad would be assured of prosecution upon their return to the country.
President Abdulla Yameen’s promise to create a more business-friendly environment for foreign investors moved a step closer with the introduction of the special economic zones bill.
Yameen pledged respect for the local ecosystem during any prospective development projects during a speech to mark World Environment Day.
(0)Dislikes(0)Fuvahmulah Atoll Hospital has denied allegations of negligence in a series of medical incidents including a case of stillbirth and the recent death of a soldier on the island.
The hospital’s statement came in response to comments by Fuvahmulah Atoll Councilor Hussain Saeed, in which he blamed the hospital’s management and Health Minister Dr Mariyam Shakeela for “worsening conditions” at the hospital.
On May 31, a gynecologist at Fuvahmulah Atoll Hospital suspended a caesarean on a pregnant woman halfway through the surgery. That same night, the gynecologist refused to perform a caesarean on another pregnant woman after the fetus died in the womb. The patient’s family said the doctor had cited lack of obstetric gel to ease birth.
The following day, a soldier died of a heart attack while playing football on Fuvahmulah. Then on June 3, the family of a three-year-old told local media that doctors at the Fuvahmulah Hospital had given the child a wrong injection.
However, Fuvahmulah Hospital has denied any wrongdoing in the four cases and condemned the council’s comments saying they are “deeply saddened to note that the Fuvahmulah Atoll Council’s press conference on these incidents spread falsehoods and incited fear among the public.”
At a press conference at the President’s Office today, officials from the Health Ministry also defended the Fuvahmulah Hospital, but said investigations were underway to see if any negligence had occurred.
Negligence
Speaking to the press in Malé yesterday, Saeed and five other councilors from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) expressed concern over lack of doctors and medical supplies, and the quality of medical care at the hospital.
“We previously thought the Fuvahmulah Hospital was not cooperating with the Health Minister in implementing the government’s health policies. But when things at the Fuvahmulah Atoll Hospital drop to this level, it shows Health Minister Shakeela has been negligent in implementing President Yameen’s health policies,” Saeed said.
Councillors said there were 123 pregnant women on Fuvahmulah at present. The island has a population of 13,000, of which 700 are children.
Although a neonatal ICU has been opened on the island, the facility does not have a pediatrician, Saeed said.
He noted a lack of medical equipment and supplied on the island stating: “There are only two thermometers in the hospital. Doctors and nurses only have two machines to check blood pressure.”
“Doctors [told us] when they ask the management for chemicals, the management told them to make do with what is available,” he continued.
Doctors also said the management shut down any initiative to improve facilities, Saeed said.
“When Fuvahmulah doctors take initiatives to improve facilities at the hospital, Fuvahmulah hospital’s administrative officer threatens doctors and tell them not to speak about the hospital. [Doctors said] they are made to work overtime, but overtime remuneration is cut from their salaries,” Saeed said.
Procedures followed
In a statement today, the Fuvahmulah Hospital explained that the first pregnant woman had arrived at the hospital for a routine check up, but was hospitalised when the doctor noticed the fetus’ heartbeat was too fast.
The gynecologist scheduled a caesarean with the family’s consent, but suspended the surgery after making an incision. A pediatrician and a second gynecologist were brought from neighboring Addu City hospital to complete the surgery.
The operation was completed successfully and no harm was caused to either the mother or child, the hospital said.
Speaking to the press at the President’s Office today, gynecologist Dr Hawwa Hana said the Fuvahmulah doctor followed the correct procedures.
“From our observations it appears [the doctor] during the surgery noticed issues that could endanger the mother that they had not noticed before,” she said.
“The placenta was at an unusually low position, and because of this there were changes to the mother’s veins, and the doctor suspected it may cause complications such as excessive bleeding. They decided not to remove the baby and wait for additional help from another team from Addu,” she said.
The Fuvahmulah Hospital said they also had not detected any negligence in the stillbirth case.
The pregnant woman had been hospitalised at 10:30pm on May 31 when the gynecologist noticed the baby’s pulse declining during a checkup. The fetus died in the womb, and the doctor opted for a natural birth.
When the baby was delivered at dawn the next day, doctors found the umbilical cord wrapped around the baby’s neck, the hospital said.
Hana went into further detail stating that the doctor did not have the opportunity to save the baby before the pulse dropped.
“With the baby’s death, the highest priority is the mother’s life. And so instead of a surgery, a normal delivery was recommended,” she said.
Soldier’s death
Fuvahmulah Atoll Councilor Hussain Saeed said Maldives National Defense Forces (MNDF) Corporal Abdulla Nazmee had not received any emergency care when he collapsed while playing football. The hospital’s ambulance arrived on the scene with just a driver and no emergency care facilities, he said.
The Fuvahmulah Hospital, however, said the doctor had not detected a pulse when Nazmee was brought to the hospital.
“But this hospital’s doctors and nurses tried to see another way. We would like to note emergency response injections and facilities are available at this hospital,” the statement read.
The hospital also said the three-year-old who is said to have received the wrong injection in fact received an antibiotics injection. The child’s condition did not decline because of the injection, the hospital said, adding that the child is now doing well.
(0)Dislikes(0)A doctor at Fuvahmulah Hospital has refused to do C-section surgery on a nine-months pregnant woman whose baby had died in the womb.
The gynecologist refused to do a cesarean, saying she was not ready to take the risk as there was no surgeon or a pediatrician present, local media has reported.
A relative of the patient told Haveeru that they were now waiting for her to give birth naturally as the hospital does not have obstetric gel which is required to ease birth in such situations.
The Ministry of Health and Gender is currently investigating both incidents, telling the press that it would not comment before it had finished.
Citing the family member, Haveeru reported that the patient was first taken to the hospital after she started having labour pains and was immediately taken into the labour room around 10:45pm on May 31.
The hospital reported the next day that both the baby and the mother were in good health, said the relative.
“And this evening (June 1) around 5:30pm, the doctor came out of the labour room and suddenly said the baby has died. According to the doctor the baby’s heart beat went too low. They didn’t provide any further information,” they added.
According to local media reports the female doctor, a Pakistani national who joined the hospital four months ago, is the only gynecologist working at the hospital and had been involved in a similar incident the previous evening.
Media reported that the doctor had refused to do cesarean surgery on a 25-year-old woman brought into the hospital, stating that she was scared to go ahead with it.
Reports say that after making an incision into the patient, the doctor then sewed it up before the woman was transferred to Hithadhoo regional hospital in the neighbouring atoll for delivery.
Meanwhile, opposition Maldivian Democratic Party MP Rozaina Adam has today submitted a medical negligence bill to the parliament stating it to be “very important in light of the current medical situation in the Maldives”.
Rozaina told Minivan News that the bill, drafted in 2011, was delayed as she was awaiting both comments and two other bills from the Health Ministry, which medical professionals had told her would complement her proposed legislation.
Following the transfusion of HIV positive blood to a patient due to a technical error at IGMH earlier this year, Rozaina opted to submit the bill without the ministry’s comments.
“We didnt receive any comment from the gender ministry, earlier they said this bill has to come with legislation concerning health professionals and with health services,” explained the Addu Meedhoo MP.
“But three years has passed waiting for their comments, so I decided to submit it – especially considering that such incidents are taking place. From the perspective of patients this cannot be delayed, and I think the government will speed up the other bills once this bill is in the Majlis,” said Rozaina.
(0)Dislikes(0)The US Embassy, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, has delivered US$13,000 (MVR201,000) worth of books to the Gnyaviyani Atoll Education Center in Fuvahmulah.
“These books, aimed at primary and secondary grades, will help teachers and students develop their English language skills so they can enhance their opportunities for further education and a dynamic future,” said Ambassador Michele Sison at a ceremony held yesterday (March 2).
“We are proud to support the success of Maldivian students through the friendship and goodwill of the American people,” she continued.
An embassy press release revealed that yesterday’s donation was the first of eleven planned for the outer atolls. The donation was made possible by the NGOs Spirit of America and the Asia Foundation.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Criminal Court has handed an MVR1000 (US$64.9) to a Fuvahmulah Island man for brewing alcohol.
The Maldives Police Services arrested Mohamed Saeed on October 1, 2011 on a tip off while he was brewing alcohol in his house with another individual. The police discovered utensils used for alcohol brewing and a 500 ml bottle containing alcohol.
Saeed has been ordered to pay the fine within 7 days – by February 16.
According to the police, Saeed has a record of drug abuse, theft, mugging, and sexual harassment.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Fuvahmulah island court has sentenced Ahmed Nadheer, 33, to 18 years in jail for sexually abusing two girls.
Nadheer was charged under the Child Sexual Abuse Act with the crime of sexually abusing the two girls while in a position of authority on multiple counts between May 2012 and February 2013.
He confessed to the charges at court. He was convicted on February 5.
The Maldives Police Services said Nadheer has previously been convicted of assault on two occasions.
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