Aasandha expansion: Kidney transplants from UAE, treatment for chronic diseases from Thailand

The recent expansion of Aasandha services will enable public health insurance coverage for kidney transplants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and medical care for chronic diseases from Thailand.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu had announced plans to expand Aasandha services to overseas countries including the UAE and Thailand during a press briefing following a state visit to China on January 13, 2024.

“In the future, Aasandha will not be restricted to medical facilities in specific countries in a specific region, but will be expanded to countries that offer better services such as UAE and Thailand,” he said, while speaking to reporters from the Velana International Airport.

In December, Aasandha Company signed agreements with UAE’s Burjeel Medical City, as well as World Medical Hospital and Bangkok Hospital in Thailand.

According to Aasandha, it will now provide coverage for kidney transplants from the facility in UAE and medical care for chronic diseases from the facilities in Thailand.

While kidney transplants are currently available under Aasandha from neighboring India, it is limited to patients with first-degree donors, meaning close relatives such as parents, siblings or children.

But the Burjeel Medical City in UAE allows kidney transplants from up to fourth-degree donors – which includes relatives of the patient's spouse – as long as it meets certain requirements by the hospital.

There are plans to expand Aasandha services to additional medical facilities.

Heela Waleed, the CEO of the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA), told reporters on Wednesday that patients can apply for public health insurance from UAE and Thailand via the Aasandha portal.

Heena said that there are a lot of kidney patients in Maldives who are unable to get transplants because they do not have a first-degree donor.

“Because of the rules in some of the neighboring countries, its hard to get an organ transplant unless there is a first-degree donor. But according to the regulations of the hospital in UAE, patients can get kidney transplants if their requirements are met if a first-degree donor isn’t available,” she said.

Heena said that the conditions for the donor include being a Muslim and a Maldivian citizen.

She added that patients will be sent to UAE and Thailand based on referral from doctors.

“They will be sent based on their medical condition based on the same system that is currently in place. The purpose of choosing two facilities isn’t to select and send people in batches. We will be sending patients based on the request and the condition,” she said.

“If there are only three or four people who have applied, there might be someone who is unable to undergo [treatment] due to their medical condition. Therefore, these decisions will be made based on technical expertise obtained following consultation with a team of medical doctors.”

Aminath Zeeniya, the Managing Director of Aasandha, said that the institution receives multiple requests from patients suffering from chronic diseases who wish to seek an additional opinion or try a new course of treatment.

Zeeniya said priority for coverage from Thailand will be for the treatment of such patients.

Patients who travel to UAE or Thailand will receive the same level of coverage currently available under Aasandha, including air fare for patient and one care giver, as well as donors, financial aid, and food and other necessities.