HRCM: Delays in taking inmates to hospital mainly attributed to lack of officers

Statistics from the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) show that the main reason for delays in providing medical treatment to inmates is the shortage of prison officers available to escort them to medical appointments, with such cases accounting for 63.2 percent of all reported delays as of July this year.

HRCM, on Wednesday, released data outlining the reasons for delays in accessing medical care among individuals held in the custody of the Maldives Correctional Service from January 1, 2024, to July 31, 2026.

According to the statistics, the main factors contributing to delays in providing medical treatment to detainees are:

• Lack of escort officers
• Delays in securing specialist appointments
• Administrative issues
• Capacity constraints and unavailability of services

The commission identified the shortage of prison officers to escort inmates to hospitals as the most significant challenge. It noted that this factor has consistently accounted for the largest proportion of medical treatment delays each year.

The data shows that a lack of escort officers accounted for 49.5 percent of reported cases in 2024 and 46.9 percent of cases last year. By the end of July this year, the figure had increased to 63.2 percent.

The second most common reason identified by the HRCM was delays in securing specialist medical appointments, followed by administrative errors. The commission noted that cases involving treatment delays due to administrative oversights have increased each year.

The HRCM also identified capacity limitations and the unavailability of services as significant obstacles. In particular, the commission highlighted inadequate medical facilities at Maafushi Prison and insufficient accommodation in Malé for inmates transferred from prisons in the provinces for medical consultations as factors contributing to treatment delays.

Other medical care-related delays recorded in 2024 included one case involving the discontinuation or interruption of medication and two cases in which inmates allegedly did not receive the necessary assistance from prison officers.