Protesters in Kulhuduffushi call to improve hospital

Protesters in a crowd that gathered near the only hospital in Haa Dhaalu Hulhudhuffushi today are calling for the government to improve the Kulhuduffushi Regional Hospital to meet basic healthcare standards.

Ali Mohamed, President of Kulhuduffushi Council told Sun Online that it was a peaceful demonstration to highlight the poor state of the hospital.

Mohamed Waheed, a leader of the demonstration said they have tried to meet the hospital’s manager for the past three days to discuss the issue.

"He refuses to answer our calls. We will not stop until he tells us what the government has to say. We want to bring this to the government’s attention,” said Mohamed Waheed.

The protests were partly triggered by the death of an unborn child and subsequent complications to the mother in an incident on 18 June. The baby died within 24 hours after the hospital assured that the condition of the child and mother were normal.

Kulhudhuffushi, a central island in the northern Maldives, holds a population of 9,500. Kulhuduffushi Regional Hospital also serves the greater Haa Dhaalu atoll, which has a population of approximately 24,000.