IT equipment worth about a million rufiyaa sent by the health ministry to the Alif Dhaal atoll hospital and health centers was lost with the 'Ricardo' boat that sank due to rough weather yesterday.
The Ricardo boat was en route from Male' to Mahibadhoo when it started taking on water and the coastguard was alerted around 6:30 pm. The boat sank in the sea between Male' atoll and Ari atoll. The people on board were rescued but the cargo was lost.
Health Ministry Executive Director Aminath Shathfa told Adhadhu that IT equipment sent by the health ministry to the Alif Dhaal atoll hospital and health centers as part of a project to digitalize the health sector was on the boat.
Computer systems, printers, video conference cameras and tablets worth about a million sank with the boat, Shathfa said.
The IT equipment was being taken to the atoll hospital in Mahibadhoo for distribution to health centers on other islands.
The eight people on board the Ricardo boat were rescued at sea by a police speedboat dispatched from Alif Dhaal atoll.
Under the MVR 56 million project launched by the government to digitalize the health sector and improve IT infrastructure, IT equipment was to be handed over to 15 atoll hospitals and 163 health centers.
According to information previously made public by the health ministry, the equipment includes 608 computer systems, 44 laptops, 500 tablets, 551 printers and 14 video conference systems.
As islands across the country have been affected by southwest monsoon rainfall, the Met office, police and coastguard have urged seafarers to be cautious.
