Aasandha says readying for coverage in Thailand, UAE

The Aasandha company has said that it does not object to sending patients to Thailand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for treatment under the Aasandha national health insurance scheme.

President Mohamed Muizzu has said that he will arrange for patients to be sent to Thailand and the UAE for treatment under the Aasandha scheme.

Before President Muizzu made the announcement, Aasandha Managing Director Fathimath Zeeniya told a meeting of the SOE Committee of Parliament that Aasandha had no intention of expanding its services to more countries.

The government has not announced whether it will expand Aasandha to more countries.

Some newspapers reported that the company was “reluctant” to send patients to countries other than India and Sri Lanka for treatment abroad, citing a remark made by the managing director in reply to a question posed by a member in parliament’s SOE committee on December 12.

Preparations are underway to send patients to Thailand and the UAE under the scheme in the future, the company said.

"... Once the government officially announces it, spreading news that the company is opposed to this will create unrest in the hearts of the people," Aasandha said in a statement.

Aasandha's Information Officer Ashiya Solih told Atoll Times on Wednesday that the company will implement the decision to expand the services under Aasandha to more countries.

Ashiya said Aasandha is a government company and the company will respect the decisions of the government.

In a media statement at the airport on Saturday after completing his official visit to China last week, President Muizzu said:

“We intend and have decided that hopefully in the future we will expand our Aasandha to Thailand and the UAE instead of making it something that can only be attained by going to medical facilities in a particular country, in a particular direction,” he said.