Maldives has started making arrangements to provide insurance services from Thailand and UAE, says Aasandha Company Ltd, which manages the national health insurance scheme.

The company said in a statement today that although it is currently sending patients abroad for treatment under the Aasandha insurance scheme only to India and Sri Lanka, it is working with the relevant authorities to send patients to Thailand and the UAE in the future.

The statement also responded to media reports which said that the company is opposed to the Government’s policy on increasing the number of countries currently receiving free medical treatment under the scheme.

According to the statement, some media reported that the company was reluctant to send patients to countries other than India and Sri Lanka for treatment abroad, which was written in connection to the response given to a question by an MP in the House Committee on Government-owned Companies in December last year. Back then, the Managing Director of Aasandha said that the company had no intention of expanding its services.

The Government back then had not announced any decision to expand the insurance service at the time, the statement read.

Therefore, now that the Government has officially announced it, spreading news based on earlier statements will mislead the public, said Aasandha company in its statement.

The President announced last week that he would expand the health insurance scheme, Aasandha, to countries such as the UAE and Thailand.