Doing well but there is still a numbness on body's left side, says Nasheed

Former President and Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed has revealed that he is feeling better overall, however, there is a lingering numbness to the left side of his body throughout the recovery process.

Nasheed was targeted with an assassination attempt on May 6, as he was heading out to attend an event in an island. The attack, which saw a remote-controlled IED explode near his residence in the center of Malé City, caused serious injuries to the ex-president who was rushed to the hospital within seven minutes after being knocked to the ground by the blast, which was dubbed far more powerful than the explosion in Sultan Park, 2007.

The Maldives' first-ever democratically-elected president spoke to the public regarding his injuries for the first time since the blast, during an event on Saturday where his party, the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) launched their “Clubhouse” campaign site in commemoration of their 16th anniversary celebrated on Saturday.

As such, the ex-president had detailed his recovery process and well as his current condition, he is currently in Germany receiving further treatment for his injuries.

Nasheed cited doctors having revealed that his internal organs are observed to be recovering well and look good. However, he noted that there still are issued with his fingers, ear and leg. Nasheed is to have told the public that he has been experiencing numbness in three fingers on his hand.

The speaker is also experiencing hearing difficulties in his left ear, of which the ear drum is reportedly damaged and require Nasheed to undergo another surgery. The operation is expected to be carried out in November 2021.

Nasheed stressed that most parts of his body’s left side are numb and doctors had informed him that it would take a while for the numbness to eventually fade away.

He assured the public that he is working to return to the Maldives, as soon as possible.

The injured ex-president departed to Germany on May 13 for further treatment.

The team of doctors who had initially attended to Nasheed’s injuries revealed that the emergency trauma he suffered was not in the norm, even for trained doctors and that they had to improvise to save his life.

Doctors revealed that Nasheed was conscious and responding to questions when he was brought to the hospital on the night of the IED blast, adding that he was bleeding heavily due to which he was rushed to the operation theater immediately. He underwent several surgeries over the course of 16 hours, where shrapnel pieces lodged into his organs were removed. Nasheed had reportedly undergone more surgeries in Germany as well.

So far, Maldives Police Service has arrested five suspects including prime suspects in connection to the IED blast in the heart of Malé City that targeted Nasheed’s life. Police and Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF)’s presence continue nationwide, as both institutions continue counter-terrorism operations across outlying atolls and the capital region.

In connection to the case, Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem revealed that the investigations will conclude within July. The People’s Majlis committee on national security or the 241 committee is also conducting an inquiry into the security breach which led to Nasheed’s life being exposed to dangers.