Following a state visit to China in January 2024, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu had announced improvements to the Government’s universal healthcare insurance scheme, Aasandha, with an imminent expansion of coverage to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Thailand.
President's Office
The Maldives’ national health insurance scheme, Aasandha, has been undergoing some major changes in order to better cater to the public's needs. In the past few months, The National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) has not only started the process of slashing the prices of 250 different medications available under Aasandha in order to manage the Aasandha budget better in the coming years, the health insurance scheme is also bringing about changes to the way medicine will be prescribed in the future to ensure availability of better quality medication in the Maldives.
In addition to these changes, another major change that the Maldives is set to see in the future includes the expansion of Aasandha services to other countries. Following a state visit to China in January 2024, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu announced improvements to the Government’s universal healthcare insurance scheme, Aasandha, with an imminent expansion of coverage to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Thailand. The President conveyed that the enhancements would diminish reliance on confined medical facilities in a select group of countries, enabling patients to pursue finer healthcare. In this regard, the President declared that the imminent expansion of coverage to the UAE and Thailand would incorporate accommodation expenses within the scope of Aasandha coverage. Prior to this, Aasanda coverage was available to Maldivians who travelled to India as well as Sri Lanka.
Although no specific timeline was set for when the services would be available in the UAE and Thailand, this development brought hope as both these countries offered more advanced medical treatment options compared to the services available in India and Sri Lanka. Following months of anticipation, since the announcement was made, NSPA has finally given the public an update on the progress towards making Aasandha services available in the UAE and Thailand.
In an announcement, the CEO of NSPA Heena Waleed has stated that an announcement of the date on which Aasandha services in Thailand and UAE will be commenced will be made soon. According to Heena, preparations to make these services available in both countries are underway following discussions between hospitals in both countries.
The discussions with Aasandha have now reached the point where it can work with hospitals in the UAE and Thailand. We will be announcing the date and more details soon.
