Terminal Illness & End-of-Life Planning in Maldives: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Coordinate Palliative Care, Home Medical Support, and Aasandha Coverage

   • Specialist clinical management and palliative care: Coordinate an integrated care plan through the treating oncology, internal medicine, or palliative care team at a tertiary facility in Male' (such as Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Hulhumale' Hospital, ADK Hospital, or Tree Top Hospital) or the designated regional/atoll hospital overseen by the Ministry of Health [1]. Ask the lead specialist to issue a comprehensive medical summary detailing the diagnosis, symptom-management protocol, pain-relief prescriptions, and home-nursing requirements [1].
   • Public health insurance under the Aasandha scheme: For Maldivian citizens, verify coverage with Aasandha Company, which administers the national social health insurance scheme (Husnuvaa Aasandha) covering inpatient treatment, outpatient specialist consultations, prescription medications, and approved medical referrals abroad when specialized care is unavailable locally [2].
   • Emergency medical welfare and therapeutic equipment: When a patient requires specialized home-care consumables, oxygen concentrators, hospital beds, or financial assistance beyond standard insurance limits, submit the specialist's clinical report and cost estimates to the National Social Protection Agency under its Medical Welfare and assistive-device support programs [3].
2. 2

   Record Advance Medical Preferences and Designate a Healthcare Representative

   • Documenting clinical treatment preferences: The Maldives does not currently have a standalone statutory Living Will Registry, and active euthanasia or physician-assisted dying is prohibited under Maldivian law and Islamic medical ethics. However, while your family member has full mental capacity, they can discuss and record clear written care preferences with their treating physician at the facility regulated by the Ministry of Health - covering pain management, palliative sedation, artificial nutrition, and whether to withhold non-beneficial cardiopulmonary resuscitation in end-stage illness [1].
   • Designating a primary family medical representative: Hospitals in the Maldives rely on the patient's designated next-of-kin or legally authorized family representative when the patient can no longer communicate [1]. Ensure the hospital medical file explicitly names the primary family contact and records their Maldivian National Identity Card details and telephone number so there is no ambiguity among relatives during urgent clinical consultations [1, 4].
   • Maintaining accessible medical records via eFaas and Vinavi: Keep certified copies of the diagnostic summary, medication list, and Aasandha Company referral authorizations accessible both in print and through the family's authorized digital health portals so island health centers or emergency responders can verify the care plan immediately [1, 2].
3. 3

   Execute Financial Powers of Attorney and Bank Mandates While Capacity Is Intact

   • Executing a formal Power of Attorney (Wakeelukamuge Liyun): While your family member retains full legal and mental capacity, they should execute a written Power of Attorney authorizing a trusted representative to manage administrative filings, property matters, court appearances, or government transactions on their behalf. To ensure legal validity in the Maldives, the Power of Attorney should be drafted clearly in Dhivehi (or English where required for corporate or international use), signed before two witnesses, and registered or notarized through a licensed Maldivian legal practitioner or the relevant court registry [5].
   • Setting up commercial bank mandates: Maldivian commercial banks (such as Bank of Maldives and Maldives Islamic Bank) frequently require customers to complete the bank's own account-operation mandate or third-party authorization form in person (or via a verified bedside bank visit if the account holder is hospitalized) rather than relying solely on a general power of attorney. Arrange this while your family member can clearly confirm their instructions using their National Identity Card issued by the Department of National Registration [4].
   • Digital government access (eFaas and oneGov): Because civil, land, and pension services in the Maldives rely heavily on the eFaas digital identity and the oneGov portal, review how essential bills, tax filings, and public service applications will be managed lawfully without sharing personal biometric credentials [4, 6].
4. 4

   Activate Disability Allowances, Critical-Illness Support, and Caregiver Leave

   • National Disability Registration and monthly allowance: If the progressive illness results in a long-term physical, sensory, or functional impairment, apply to the National Social Protection Agency to register the person on the National Register of Persons with Disabilities under the Disability Act (Law No. 8/2010), which provides a monthly financial disability allowance and grants for therapeutic care and assistive equipment [3].
   • Maldives Retirement Pension Scheme (MRPS) review: If the ill person is a contributor to the Maldives Retirement Pension Scheme, contact the Maldives Pension Administration Office to review their Retirement Savings Account (RSA) statement, confirm employment contribution status, and check eligibility for early pension access or medical withdrawal provisions under current pension regulations [6].
   • Statutory family caregiver leave under the Employment Act: Family members employed in the Maldives should notify their employer's human resources department and present a medical certificate from a practitioner registered with the Ministry of Health to claim paid family care leave (up to ten days per year under the Maldivian Employment Act to care for an immediately ill family member) or negotiate extended flexible or unpaid caregiving leave [1].
5. 5

   Organize the Will (*Wasiyyath*), Civil Status Documents, and Estate Records

   • Preparing a valid Wasiyyath (will) and reviewing succession rules: Under Maldivian law, succession is governed by Islamic Sharia principles administered by the Family Court of the Maldives [5]. While capacity is intact, your family member may execute a written Wasiyyath before witnesses or apply to verify it through the Family Court of the Maldives; under Sharia rules, bequests to non-heirs are valid up to one-third of the net estate after funeral costs and debts, whereas statutory shares for legal heirs (Varoosaa) are fixed by law unless all adult heirs consent after the testator's passing [5].
   • Consolidating civil identity and family records: Gather the ill person's National Identity Card (verified with the Department of National Registration), birth certificate, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, and the National Identity Cards of all children, spouse(s), and parents so that the family register is complete and unambiguous [4, 5].
   • Documenting debts, property titles, and cross-border assets: Prepare a clear written inventory of all real estate and land registry certificates, vessels, business shares, bank accounts, Maldives Pension Administration Office RSA balances, and outstanding liabilities or personal debts (which must be settled before estate distribution) [5, 6]. If the ill person owns assets abroad or has foreign-resident family members, coordinate separate powers of attorney and estate instruments legalized through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the relevant foreign embassy.

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Ministry of Health - Public Health and Medical Services — Ministry of Health, Republic of Maldives
2. [2]
   Aasandha - National Social Health Insurance Scheme — Aasandha Company Ltd, Republic of Maldives
3. [3]
   National Social Protection Agency - Disability and Medical Welfare Programs — National Social Protection Agency (NSPA)
4. [4]
   Department of National Registration - Civil Identity Services — Department of National Registration, Republic of Maldives
5. [5]
   Family Court of the Maldives - Official Portal — Family Court of the Maldives
6. [6]
   Client Services & Maldives Retirement Pension Scheme (MRPS) — Maldives Pension Administration Office