New US $110m hospital set to open

A US$110m hospital will open this week in Hulhumalé, its backers said Tuesday.

The multi-speciality hospital is a project from Tree Top Investments, which was formed by prominent local tourism companies.

Tens of thousands of Maldivians go abroad each year to seek medical treatment unavailable in the country. A survey conducted by the central bank in 2014 found that 57 percent of Maldivians travelled overseas for medical purposes.

Tree Top says it plans to provide services on a par with the rest of the region. It is the Maldives’ first multi-speciality hospital and the biggest investment by private companies in the health sector.

Only people who are admitted to Tree Top will be covered by the government’s health insurance scheme Aasandha, investor and businessman Champa Hussain Afeef told a news conference. People will have to pay for consultations and tests.

“We don’t know when we’ll recover this money, but we wanted to stop Maldivians from having to go abroad to consult doctors. They won’t have to bear the cost of renting houses abroad after this,” Afeef said.

The hospital construction has been done Alke-Turmaks, which is also building the country’s biggest and most expensive mosque, and the facility will be managed by Malaysian company Ramsay Sime Darby.

The four founding firms of Tree Tops are Champa Brothers, Kasa Holdings, Crown Company, and Kuredu Holdings.