The Auditor General’s Office of Maldives has stated that adequate health care is not available in Addu to treat road traffic accident traumas which take place on Addu Link Road.
This was mentioned in a report published by the office following a preliminary study conducted on road side accidents which take place on the tarmac road connecting five districts of Addu.
The report highlighted that there are no emergency or trauma specialists in Addu Regional Hospital to treat injuries obtained in accidents cause due to the poor condition of the link road. It further stated that there are no hospital staff specifically trained to treat emergencies.
Additional concerns in the report were the lack of neurologists and neurosurgeons to treat head traumas as well as the unavailability of several necessary consumables due to the negligence of the Ministry of Health of the Maldives. The report also shed light on the fact that the hospital does not have any paramedic staff or any paramedic vehicles.
As a result of such limited health care services in Hithadhoo Regional Hospital, the transfer of patients from Addu to Male’ was also indicated as a concern, specially in cases where securing seats on flights are challenging.
Another point stressed as requiring immediate attention in the report was the fact that the hospital only has the capacity to transfer one person at a time from the site of the accident to the hospital, when there are multiple individuals involved in accidents, resulting in delay of care to the other involved patients.
This preliminary report prepared by the Auditor General’s Office looked into the condition of the Addu Link Road, the accidents that take place on it as well as the care provided to those involved in such accidents. The report highlighted that authorities have neglected in maintaining upto date data, such as Hithadhoo Police and Hithadhoo Regional Hospital’s inability to maintain records on the number of fatalities caused by the roadside accidents in Addu.
