Malé, Maldives – Popular cupping or hijama clinic, Faxy’s Hijama Therapy, closed its doors today due to licensing issues.
In a social media post, owner of Faxy’s Hijama Therapy, Fazeela Usman stated the clinic has shut down after a meeting with the Ministry of Health made it clear that clinics providing hijama services cannot be operated in the Maldives without proper registrations.
There are no licensed Hijama therapy clinics in the Maldives.
As this is a popular form of alternative medicine in the country, Faxy promised to reopen the clinic after getting the required certifications to practice hijama or cupping therapy.
Faxy first landed in hot water a week earlier for making a social media post promoting cupping as an alternative to insulin for diabetes. Multiple doctors and NGOs sounded alarms with netizens calling to shutdown such unlicensed clinics before it kills someone.
Local news “Adhadhu” reports that Faxy has been attempting to acquire the operating license for her clinic since 2018 without success since she does not have the educational background to perform such medical procedures.
The clinic has now closed its doors after Health Ministry filed the case with the police.
