Maumoon Abdul Gayoom " Towards New Heights ": IGM Hospital to be run by Singaporean investments

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

IGM Hospital to be run by Singaporean investments - Ilyas Ibrahim

01 October 2008

Ibrahim at today's Press Conference

MALE, Maldives — Minister for Health Ilyas Ibrahim has said that Indira Gandhi Memorial (IGM) Hospital is to be run by Singaporean investments. Media Manager of the Maumoon 2008 Campaign Ibrahim Athif Shakoor also condemned the attempted attacks on Dhivehi Raiyyithunge Party (DRP) Presidential running mate Ahmed Thasmeen Ali in Thulhaadhoo island of Baa Atoll.

Singaporean Investments

Speaking at a press conference held at the Maumoon 2008 Media Office at 1200hrs today, Minister for Health, Ilyas Ibrahim has revealed plans to transfer the administration of IGM hospital to Singaporean investments.

According to IGM Hospital’s website, the hospital was built by the Indian government in the Maafannu ward of the capital city of Male as part of Indian aid to the Maldives. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Indian and Maldivian states for the construction of the hospital was signed in 1988. IGM hospital was officially handed over to the Maldivian government in 1994 after which it has continued to receive Indian aid in terms of human resources and medical equipment.

Ibrahim said that incumbent President of the Maldives and DRP Presidential candidate Maumoon Abdul Gayoom recently requested the Singaporean government’s aid in improving the services available at IGM hospital on a recent state visit to the country. Ibrahim said that Singaporean companies have expressed an interest in investing in the hospital.

Poor administration

Ibrahim said that IGM’s administration is to be transferred to yet to be revealed Singaporean investments very soon. He did not specify a date but he said that the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Trade has been working to facilitate the transfer.

Ibrahim said that the Ministry of Health is aware of criticism from various sources regarding the state-run IGM hospital. He said that the DRP’s political opposition has mainly criticized IGM’s poor administration while acknowledging the existence of modern facilities and equipment at the hospital.

Ibrahim said that he welcomes the opposition’s acknowledgement of the equipment and facilities which the Ministry of Health continues to provide to IGM.

Ibrahim said that IGM hospital was originally established in 1994 to meet the daily needs of a maximum of 400 people. He said that the most recent figures indicate that approximately 900 – 1200 people visit IGM hospital for medical treatment on a daily basis. He indicated that he believes that it is natural for problems to arise from this inconsistency.

He said that expansion work is already underway at IGM hospital.

Health Statistics

Ibrahim said the Maldives has seen great development in the health sector. He quoted from the DRP manifesto that in 1977 that the 23 nurses in the country worked only in Male but now the total number is 1683 with a large percentage working in the atolls.

He also said that the number of doctors in 1977 has increased from 7 to the present figure of 636. He further stated that 256 doctors work in Male while the rest are spread across the atolls.

He said there is a doctor for is a doctor for every 484 people in the Maldives while the proportion of doctors to the population in Singapore is 1 to 600.

Ibrahim also stated that United Nations (UN) statistics will show that under Gayoom’s administration state health services provide vaccination for 98.5% of Maldivian children.

He said that ambulances have been provided for every island with a hospital although he lamented the fact that some islands do not have drivers trained to operate the vehicles.

Government Initiatives

Ibrahim outlined the Presidential initiative to concentrate resources on providing doctors for islands with populations less than 500.

He said that the Government had had to dedicate its resources to providing health services to densely populated islands in the Maldives earlier, leaving 25 islands in the Maldives with no resident doctors.
He also said that the Government is currently carrying out a project to construct buildings to provide health services in every island. He said that this project will be completed next year.

Attacks in Thulhaadhoo

Media Manager of the Maumoon 2008 campaign, Ibrahim Athif Shakoor spoke at the beginning of the press conference condemning the attempted attacks on running mate Thasmeen Ali’s person.

He described these attacks as “vile” and “vulgar” and called on state institutions and political parties to condemn such acts.

Athif Shakoor said that Thasmeen Ali was not physically harmed.

He said that the individuals who committed what in his words were atrocities, were transported to Thulhaadhoo Island from nearby Royal Island Resort by a vessel owned by the resort.

Royal Island Resort is one of the resort hotels owned and run by Villa Hotels which is a subsidiary of the Villa group of companies of which Jumhooree Party Presidential candidate Gasim “Burumaa” Ibrahim was until very recently the chairman.

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Development Heights in the last 30 years

1. In 1978 the GDP per capita of the Maldives was USD 200 but today it is USD 3,000 - a 15-fold increase.
2. In 1978 there were only 4 government schools and 15,000 students. Today, there are 349 government schools and more than 86,000 students studying in the Maldives.
3. In 1978 there were only 65 university graduates in the country but today there are more than 3,000.
4. In 1985 there were 23 doctors and 74 nurses in the country, but now there are 550 doctors, 1,200 nurses, 600 medical personnel, and 800 community health workers.
5. The Infant Mortality Rate in 1978 was 120 per 1,000 live births, but today the number has been reduced to 10.
6. From 1978 till today, the Maternal Mortality Rate has been decreased from 6 to 1 per 1,000 live births.
7. Child Mortality Rate of children under 5 has been reduced to 18 per 1,000 live births from the previous figure of 180.
8. Life expectancy has been increased from 48 years in 1978 to 73 years in 2008.
9. In 1978 there only 7 doctors for all Maldivians totally but today there are 500 plus doctors
10. In 1978 there were only 7 doctors working in the country, but today the number exceeds 500.
11. From 1978 to 2008, the number of hospitals in the Maldives grew from 1 to 22.
12. The number of tourist arrivals in 1978 was 29,325 but today the figure stands greater than 675,000.
13. There were only 17 resorts and 1,300 beds in the Maldives in 1978. However, today there are 94 resorts and 22,000 beds.
14. The fish catch in 1978 was 25,800 tons but it has increased to 184,158 tons in 2006.
15. There were 413 mechanized fishing boats in 1977 but today the number exceeds 2000.

His Excellency Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom

His Excellency Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is truly a man of the people. He is a leader who has earned the people’s trust and one who understands the needs of his people. It is under his skilled stewardship that Maldives became a highly respected member of the international community. Gayoom has maintained religious unity and promoted Islam as a religion of peace, tolerance and understanding. He is a philosopher, an academic and an Islami Scholar. Campaigning under the slogan of “Towards New Heights” he is undoubtedly the best contender in the presidential race.

Born in Male’ in 1937, to a middle-class family, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom demonstrated academic potential at a young age and, following early schooling in the country, went first to Al-Azhar University in Cairo and later to the city’s American University. He obtained an M.A. in Islamic Studies at Azhar, where he also studied law and philosophy. His Degree in Islamic Studies earned him an academic appointment as Lecturer in that discipline to Nigeria’s Abdullahi Bayero College, a faculty of Ahmadu Bello University. According to the work of biographer Graham Wilson, Gayoom is one of the three most intellectual students to ever graduate from Azhar University. Gayoom married Madam Nasreena whilst in Egypt and started his family while working in Nigeria.

Gayoom returned to his homeland in 1971 and began a long and successful career in serving the nation. His public service, which began with a teaching post at Aminiyya School, one of the only three government schools in the country then, is one of the most distinguished. He served as the Manager of the National Shipping Department, which quickly led to his becoming Director of the national Communications Department. By 1974, he had established his reputation as an able administrator and consequently, was appointed Special Under-Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister. His first overseas appointment was to the diplomatic post of Deputy Ambassador to neighboring Sri Lanka which was followed quickly by his appointment as the Maldives Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

On his return to Male’ in 1977, he was appointed Minister of Transport, and then in November of 1978 was nominated as Presidential candidate by the Citizens’ Majlis winning a record 92.9% of the popular vote in the referendum which confirmed him as the people’s choice for the post. The people’s decision has proven to be a prudent one for the country; a decision that brought the Maldives, with its relatively small geographical size and few resources, rapid progress and development, as well as an established and reputed position in the international arena.

The record-breaking progress, of the country, in the past 30 years under Gayoom’s able and far seeing administration is truly remarkable. Gayoom has guided a country poor in natural and human resources, within 30 years to astonishing heights of progress. This change did not just come about of its own accord. It is an undeniable fact that it was Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s able leadership that guided the country to those heights.

The pace of socio-economic development in Maldives is a testament to Gayoom’s hard work and vision. The multiples increase in per-capita GDP, increase in average life expectancy in the Maldives from 48 to 71 years, the decrease in the rate of child mortality and advancements in the educational and health sectors all bear witness to this fact. Gayoom’s leadership has enabled Maldivian fishermen to harvest the wealth of the Maldivian seas and made Maldives a synonym for the best of what a relaxing holiday can be.

After 25 successful years of nation building, at the inauguration of his 5th term to the Presidency, Gayoom announced that in this, his 6th term, he would prioritize the full and modern democratization of the now fast developing Maldives. The successful implementation of the education programs which he initiated in his first term in 1978 and the excellent results of his social and economic strategies had resulted in a young and educated population, who Gayoom believed, were now ready and primed to enter into the boisterous and animated arena of a modern, liberal democracy. Gayoom, had hoped that his Reform Agenda which he proposed in June of 2004, would be completed by the end of this 6th term, however it was not to be and Gayoom the originator and prime mover of the Reform Agenda is running for president today to ensure the smooth progress and successful culmination of the process of reform and democratization that he initated five years ago.

Significant achievements have already been made under Gayoom’s Reform Agenda which include a new, modern and liberal constitution whose Bill of Rights is amongst the most comprehensive in the world and in accordance with International Standards. Independent Institutions required by the new Constitution have now been created including the recently established Supreme Court, that has ensured that the powers of the executive, legislature and judiciary are now fully and effectively separated. A free and vibrant media is now flourishing in the country. These changes brought about, in the face of local and international skepticism and even active resistance, was implemented with patience, perseverance and foresight by Gayoom.

However, as these institutions are creations of the New Constitution, they are still in their infancy, some only a week old. They need time to mature and gain experience and acceptance. While the Maldives has a proud history which is more than 2000 years old, the new democracy of the Maldives, is yet a fledgling one. These will be testing times. The draftsman, who with foresight and wisdom, drew up these blueprints, is invaluable in these times, so that the rights, which bring with them corresponding responsibilities, are woven into the fabric of the Maldivian way of life and become part of our culture. This is too difficult a challenge and important a responsibility to be passed onto a new comer, a challenger with no experience and maturity, wisdom or foresight. This is not the time for experimentation. It’s the time for the only contender with a proven track record.

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is ready to serve the people and take this country to new heights in five dynamic years.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

IGM Hospital to be run by Singaporean investments - Ilyas Ibrahim

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Development Heights in the last 30 years

His Excellency Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom

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