Endorsement of Health Minister tabled for Monday

The issue of granting parliament consent to Minister of Health Dr Mariyam Shakeela has been scheduled for the sitting on Monday.

The issue was forwarded to Parliament Committee of Independent Institutions for review on 14 July, and narrowly passed the committee vote the following week. The committee’s chair Vilufushi MP Riyaz Rasheed was forced to cast his vote to break the deadlock.

Meanwhile, MP Riyaz Rasheed, also the deputy leader of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives' (PPM) parliamentary group, has said that a large number PPM MPs are opposing the endorsement of Dr Shakeela.

President Abdulla Yameen Abdulla Gayoom changed the name of Ministry of Health and Gender to the Ministry of Health, revised the ministry’s mandate and re-appointed Dr Mariyam Shakeela as Health Minister on 1 July.