Fuvahmulah's Baba Gardiya Operator Appeals for Public Help After Heart Attack

Hasan Athig, the operator of Fuvahmulah's popular 'Baba Gardiya' food business, has appealed for public assistance to fund his medical treatment after suffering a heart attack. Athig suffered the heart attack on the 26th of last month and was rushed to Malé for emergency treatment. After being treated in the ICU, he was discharged from hospital, but according to Athig he is still in a lot of pain. In a post written yesterday on the official Facebook page of Baba Gardiya, Athig said two echocardiograms of the heart have been done so far, and that the nerves on both sides of his neck have become very swollen. He said that whenever he goes to IGMH unable to bear the pain, he is admitted and various tests are done, and that he has so far been seen by doctors in various fields. He is currently admitted at IGMH. "But no doctor can say what the actual problem is. After the echocardiogram, my jaw and the nerves on both sides of my neck are swollen and painful, so I don't get any sleep at night," Athig wrote. According to Athig, Aasandha has now been granted for him to travel abroad for further treatment. However, he earns money through his own work, and since the gardiya work has stopped due to the illness, he has no other way to get money. Even though the medical arrangements have been made, it is not yet known how many days he will spend in India, and Athig estimates that there will be large expenses for accommodation, food and travel. "But since I do not currently have the financial capacity to bear such a large expense, I appeal for your generous help. Whatever anyone is able to give will be enough for me. I will also be grateful," Athig wrote on Facebook. Baba Gardiya, which is popular among the public, participated in the Maldives Expo held in Hulhumalé last year and earned more than one million rufiyaa within nine days. Its special food is shawarma. Athig previously worked for many years in the food and beverage sector of resorts. After that, with the closure of resorts during Covid, he moved to the island and started selling food from a handcart. Later, he bought a truck with his own money and expanded the business.