National carrier Maldivian has changed operating procedures to prioritize emergency medical evacuations ahead of scheduled flights.
Transport Minister Mohamed Ameen said in a post on X that Maldivian’s rules for airlifting patients have been changed with effect on Saturday.
If an emergency case is informed by a hospital, Maldivian would prioritize the emergency transport of the patient, he said.
“With Maldivian’s rules changed as of today, if an emergency case comes, it has now been arranged to carry emergency patients as a priority in the flight schedule,” Minister Ameen wrote.
The Transport Minister’s announcement came after the government faced criticism for taking 16 hours to bring a 13-year-old boy who suffered a stroke from Gaaf Alif Villingili to Male’.
On social media, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s alleged refusal to use a Dornier aircraft gifted by India for medical evacuations was blamed for the delay and the teenager’s death while undergoing treatment in Male’.
In an indirect response to the criticism, Defense Minister Ghassan Maumoon said on X that informing or seeking authorization from the President was not part of the standard operating procedures for emergency medical evacuations.
Such operations are instead carried out in consultation with the relevant agencies, he said.
“Looking at statistics starting from 2021, 93 percent of medical evacuations were conducted through Maldivian,” Ghassan wrote.
The delay in transferring the patient from Villingili led to protests outside the atoll hospital on the island.
The government previously faced criticism for not using the Dornier plane in the search operation for 18-year-old Mohamed Naeesh who went missing in Addu in December.
Earlier this month, President Muizzu said an air ambulance service will be launched on March 1.
"An air ambulance to carry patients, God willing, will start flying on March 1. Not a helicopter, not a Dornier, work has now started on changing our Dash 8 airplane. That provides many benefits. In addition to coming to Male' in a short period from the northernmost or southernmost [atoll], even if [a patient] has to be suddenly taken abroad even up to Thailand, they will go on that Dash 8," he said.
Minister Ameen reiterated the President’s decision in his post.
