Tree Top: ‘A hospital for the rich’?
The hospital’s opening prompted debates among Maldivians on social media, with some comparing its US$50 consultation fee to the cost of travelling to a neighbouring country while others accused the resort oligarchs of trying to profit from healthcare.
01 Mar 2018, 9:00 AM
The much-anticipated opening Thursday of a US$110 million tertiary hospital in Hulhumalé has drawn criticism over its steep prices.
The Tree Top Hospital charges a fee of MVR 750 (US$48.5) for consultations and doctors appointments. But Maldivians will get a 30 percent discount, a hospital official told local media.
The multi-speciality hospital is a project of Tree Top Investments, a partnership between prominent tourism companies, which enlisted Turkish company Turmaks Alke for the construction and Malaysia’s Ramsay Sime Darby for management.
Only admissions will be covered by the government’s health insurance scheme Aasandha, resort tycoon and one of the hospital’s investors Hussain Afeef told the press earlier this week.
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