13-year-old boy dies in Maldives after delay in arranging Indian air ambulance

Amid the India-Maldives row, a 13-year-old boy died in the island nation on Thursday evening, after an alleged delay in arranging an Indian Dornier air ambulance to medically evacuate him from his remote island of Gaaf Alif Villingili to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in the capital Male. 

Though the company operating the evacuations cited a last-minute "technical glitch" as the reason, speculations are rife that the officials, on President Mohammed Muizzu's orders, denied permission to use the Indian aircraft. However, the local media Adhadhu said the two Indian helicopters and Dornier aircraft have not been used since President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu assumed office.

This comes as the Maldives ordered the Indian troops, numbering over 77, to leave the archipelago before March 15, triggering a diplomatic tiff between the nations. Of the 77 military members posted in Maldives, 12 are medical personnel from the Indian armed forces who aid in medical evacuations for the residents of the remote islands. India has given Male two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft, used for marine surveillance, search and rescue operations and medical evacuations. 

According to Adhadhu, the family of a child alleged authorities failed to arrange a medical evacuation. The child had a brain tumour and suffered a stroke on Wednesday night. "We called Island Aviation to get him to Male immediately after the stroke but they did not answer our calls. They answered the phone at 8:30 am on Thursday. The solution is to have an air ambulance for such cases," the father of the child told Adhadhu.

The child was reportedly brought to Male 16 hours after the request for emergency evacuation was made but soon passed away.

Aasandha Company Limited, the company responsible for medical evacuations, issued a statement indicating that they had initiated the evacuation process promptly upon receiving the request but blamed it on a "technical glitch." 

The Maldivian Health Ministry has not yet responded to the reports. 

The incident led to a large scale protest in the Gaaf Alif Villingili island. "People shouldn't have to pay with their lives to satisfy the President's animosity towards India," Maldives MP Meekail Naseem posted on X. 

The Maldives government has said that it "was okay with" bringing non-military employees to replace the Indian troops operating two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft in the Maldives.

President's Office Public Policy Secretary Abdulla Nazim told a press conference on January 14 that the government "is okay with" civil or non-military employees. The suggestion was made during the core group meeting of the high-level officials of the two countries at the Foreign Ministry. "If the military is involved in operating Dornier and such operations, the military people should leave the Maldives and we are ready to welcome civilians to do that job. That's how the discussions are ongoing. It is too early to say what will happen," he told reporters at the President's Office.