Emergency shortcode line 911 has been launched in Maldives effective last night.
Emergency shortcode line 911 has been launched in Maldives effective last night.
The creation of this hotline which will connect callers to relevant responders was proposed by Ministry of Health to the Social Council at President's Office. The Social Council approved this proposal and commenced work on setting up the hotline in October.
At a ceremony held last night for the official launching of 911, Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusan said that this is a significant milestone for the country.
Ihusan said that early into his presidency, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu had recognized the need for a national helpline which connects callers to all emergency responders.
911 hotline has been established at Maldives Police Service. Callers to 911 will be provided services from Police, ambulance, coastguard, as well as fire and rescue.
"When setting up the hotline, we recognized that 911 is a number that is widely recognized, a number that even children are familiar with. Hence, we decided that it would be most convenient for the majority of citizens to remember if we use this shortcode," he said.
Minister Ihusan assured that the services provided by 911 launched last night will continue to improve with time, sharing some of the planned upgrades:
- advancement of communication systems
- transforming into a system that allows GIS mapping
- roll out of dispatch software to dispatch centres across the country
- speeding up response time
- increasing capacity and training of call centre staff
- providing technical training to 911 call centre staff
Ihusan urged all to refrain from misusing or obstructing crucial services such as this that are designed to provide assistance to the public.
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