Ministry OKs ventilators supplied by Dubai company

The Health Ministry of the Maldives has stated that the five ventilators procured by Dubai based Executors General Trading passed the required standards. 

The Ministry did however, state that it did not know when the remaining 60 ventilators contracted to the company would be supplied. The five ventilators procured this week, were supplied with the assistance of ADK General Trading, a Maldivian company. 

Health Ministry’s Commissioner of Quality Assurance Thasleema Usmaan said to Sun that the ventilators were of the agreed Dräger brand and passed the necessary standards and requirements when checked by a team of the Ministry. 

“All the ventilators are in working condition. However, two accessories that come with the ventilators are missing. We have now communicated with Executors General to obtain the two accessories. So, we have not yet brought the ventilators.” Said Thasleema. 

She added that Executors General had informed that the accessories could be supplied within ten days. 

“If we need them now, we can get the ventilators. But because those two accessories are missing, we have not received them. Other than that, the ventilators are fine.” Said Thasleema.

She said that Executors had been requested to supply the remaining 60 ventilators, but that the Ministry had not received a date as of yet.

ADK had previously criticized the awarding of the contract to bring Dräger brand ventilators to the Dubai based company, after stating that it had offered to bring the ventilators at a lower price. 

In May, Executors General Trading was awarded a contract to source 75 ventilators to the Maldives in a bid to increase the health capacity of the nation to combat COVID-19. 

The contract was heavily criticized at the time and was later found out to have a number of discrepancies which led to intense criticism of the government and even the resignation of the then Health Minister Abdulla Ameen. As of date, the company had managed to supply just 15 ventilators to the Maldives.