The Maldivian government has introduced a significant change to the national health insurance scheme, Aasandha, starting this Friday, as part of ongoing reforms aimed at improving efficiency and managing healthcare costs. Under the new system, the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) has announced that individuals with private insurance will first have their bills deducted from their private insurance policies before Aasandha is applied.
According to the NSPA’s statement, these changes are a part of the agency’s efforts to transform Aasandha into a more sustainable and effective service, ensuring that quality healthcare services are delivered to the public without unnecessary expenditure. The new billing system will apply initially to outpatient services, with plans to implement it in phases across inpatient services as well.
For individuals holding private insurance, Aasandha will now be secondary to private insurance in covering healthcare costs. However, should the private insurance limit be reached, or if a particular service is not covered by the private insurance plan, Aasandha will continue to cover these services as it does presently.
In tandem with the reform to prioritise private insurance, the NSPA has also announced a significant reduction in the prices of 250 essential medications covered under Aasandha. This move, aimed at making medications more affordable and conserving Aasandha’s resources, will see reduced prices for 87 medications from November 1st, followed by reductions for the remaining 126 medications on November 24th. NSPA’s Managing Director and Chief Government Spokesperson, Heena Waleed, highlighted that these adjustments are expected to result in annual savings of approximately MVR 220 million for Aasandha.
NSPA has noted that any concerns regarding these changes can be addressed through Aasandha’s ‘Shikaavathi Chatline,’ a dedicated channel for reporting and resolving complaints.
These reforms mark the government’s proactive steps toward enhancing the Aasandha scheme, aiming to make healthcare more accessible and cost-effective for the people of the Maldives.
