Cabinet decides to develop regional hospitals, creates counter-terrorism office

The government has decided to conduct a research on what should be done to develop Addu and Kulhuduffushi regional hospitals to a same level as Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital, the biggest medical care provider in the Maldives, which is located in Malé, the capital. This decision was made in the cabinet meeting today, after discussions on what measures can be taken in order to solve the many problems faced by the Maldives’ healthcare services.

A special steering committee was also formed in the cabinet meeting today, with a mandate to identify the challenges faced by the health sector and take counter measures against those challenges. The cabinet also discussed efforts being taken in order to tackle the problem of dengue epidemic, which has become the most serious concern of the nation at the moment.

The cabinet also decided to establish a new “Office for Countering Terrorism” in the Maldives, which is mandated to take preventive and protective measures against terrorism in the country. The office shall also take responsibilities for managing situations of terrorism should they occur in the territory of the Maldives. This new office created under the authority given to the President by article 106 of the Constitution of the Maldives shall be working under the Ministry of Defence and National Security.