Health Minister, Dr. Abdullah Khaleel has said that there will be an investigation into the case of the child who died while being treated at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) for negligence.
Minister Dr. Khaleel said this in an interview with Mihaaru newspaper today.
The 13-year-old died yesterday while undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the IGMH. The residents of the village protested in front of the Atoll Hospital in Vilingili on Thursday.
The Minister said he would look into whether anyone had neglected the child's treatment. The Minister also assured that action would be taken against anyone responsible for the death of the child.
The minister said the difficulties faced by the government due to the lack of a special air craft to transport critically ill patients would be solved with the launch of the air ambulance in March. The flight seats will be removed and the patients will be carried on a stretcher, he said.
In addition, five tertiary hospitals will be established in the Atolls to provide quality treatment outside of Malé. The five tertiary hospitals will reduce the dependence on Malé for medical treatment, he said.
According to Aasandha, the child’s transportation was delayed due to a technical problem with the first scheduled flight.
The President has asked the national airline to accommodate medical evacuations without delay if a health facility requests to carry a patient for treatment in an emergency.
In addition, the airline has decided to revise its procedures to make carrying patients the highest priority in the schedule, Transport Minister Captain Mohammed Ameen said yesterday.