The Government has begun work to establish the Maldives' first facility for conducting post-mortem examinations, Minister of Health, Family and Welfare Geela Ali has announced.
Responding to a question from Parliamentarian for Galolhu North constituency, Mohamed Ibrahim, the minister said the Government was frequently required to send bodies abroad for post-mortem examinations despite there being no legal impediment to conducting them domestically. The Parliamentarian had sought clarification on why the service was not available in the Maldives and whether there were plans to introduce it.
The minister said that, in collaboration with relevant authorities, the Male’ City Group of Hospitals (MCGH) is now working to establish the Level 2 medical unit. Once operational, the facility will provide clinical forensic, medico-legal and post-mortem services not only to the Greater Male’ area but to the entire country. She noted that the unit would pave the way for the provision of such services within a robust institutional framework.
She added that land for the facility has already been secured. The unit will also provide services to assess injuries sustained by victims of violence and persons in custody, as well as determine the extent of injuries for legal and insurance purposes.
The minister said the unit will enable forensic examinations to determine causes of death in cases requiring legal investigation, as well as the investigation of sexual and physical assault cases.
Although legislation governing post-mortem services was enacted in 2015, successive governments did not establish the service. The current administration, she said, is now taking the necessary steps to introduce it properly in the Maldives.
Before the unit becomes operational, forensic pathology regulations will be finalised and published in the Government Gazette. The minister stressed that special attention is being given to ensuring public confidence in the service. Over the past decade, 23 bodies have been sent abroad for post-mortem examinations. Each examination cost approximately USD 3,567.44