The Maldives’ national health insurance scheme, Aasandha, is beyond repair and should be replaced with a new system, the Parliament Deputy Speaker and Dhiggaru MP Ahmed Nazim has said.
Debating the proposed budget for 2025 at the Parliament, MP Nazim said there are serious issues within the health sector. He accused Aasandha and the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) of excessive and wasteful spending, labeling Aasandha as the "real cancer" of the system.
“The Parliament's Public Finance Committee has determined that Aasandha has deteriorated beyond salvaging. We must seriously consider abandoning it and starting afresh, as we did with Air Maldives and other such entities,” Nazim stated.
Nazim said it is confirmed that there are intermediaries in the agreements between Aasandha and foreign hospitals. This is evident as the prices charged are incredibly high. The agreements are designed in such a way that the intermediaries receive a hefty commission, and the government does not have to stick to these agreements, he said. He suggested terminating all such agreements and creating a new company to replace Aasandha.
“Aasandha spends exorbitantly. Media reports indicate that the company has paid MVR 24,000 for a single injection. Over 1,000 such injections have been administered in the past two years, costing MVR 24 million. However, the true cost doesn’t exceed MVR 5 million,” he added.
