• Source:JND
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A Maldivian boy allegedly succumbed to his illness after President Mohammed Muizzu’s administration denied him an Indian Dornier aircraft. As per the local media, a teenager, who was battling a combination of brain tumor and a stroke, was required to be shifted from the remote island of Wilmington in Gaaf Alif Villingili to Maldive's capital Male for advanced medical treatment. He sought an air ambulance but was made to wait for 16 hours.

The incident happened on Wednesday when the family of the now-deceased teenager made a distress call requesting the aerial transfer of their boy for his treatment. The request, however, went unanswered till Thursday morning. The aviation authority finally responded but it was too late. The 16-hour delay sparked protests outside the hospital in Gaaf Alif Villingili.

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Speaking to the local media outlet Adhahu, the deceased’s father said a lack of prompt response led to the incident.  "We called Island Aviation to get him to Male immediately after the stroke but they did not answer our calls. They answered the phone at 8:30 am on Thursday. The solution is to have an air ambulance for such cases."

Aasandha Company Limited, which was responsible for the medical evacuation, issued a statement seeking an apology. They cited a last-minute "technical glitch" as a reason for the delay. “Responding to the hospital's request at 11:18 AM, we arranged for an MNDF Sea Ambulance to transport the patient from GA Villingilli to Kooddoo at 14:45. Simultaneously, GKK airport informed us at 11:40 AM that a scheduled flight from Male’s to Kahdhoo, with available seats, could be diverted to Kooddoo and the said flight can transfer the patient as early as 13:50. Unfortunately, due to a technical problem with the flight at the last moment, the diversion was not possible as planned,” the statement read. 

Maldivian MP Meekail Naseem took to social media platform X to express his ire over the incident, alleging it was to satisfy the President’s animosity against India. “People shouldn’t have to pay with their lives to satisfy the President’s animosity towards India,” he wrote.

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Notably, India and Maldives are going through a rough patch after prominent leaders of Maldives made racist and offensive comments against India and PM Modi over the latter’s Lakshadweep visit.