Opinion: "Cancer alone did not kill her"

As the pandemic unfolded last year, many countries closed their borders to contain the virus, including neighbouring India and Sri Lanka, where most Maldivians travel each year for medical emergencies. It left several families worrying for their sick relatives who needed treatment from abroad.

After weeks of delay, in the evening of June 29, 2020, an Aasandha flight flew out to India with the first round of patients and their family members, renewing their hope. But for my uncle, Ahmedfulhube, his entire world came crashing down around him on that night. His wife, Khadheeja Mohamed, who was suffering from ovarian cancer and in need of a life-saving surgery from overseas, was not given a seat on this flight. She died the next morning, at the age of only 47.