The national health insurance provider, Aasandha Company Limited, has spent USD71 million on private healthcare facilities in 2022.
Statistics from the past 10 years show that Aasandha spent the most on private healthcare facilities in 2022. As such, USD71 million were spent in 2022 while USD62 million were spent in 2021 and USD48 million were spent in 2020.
In 2022, Aasandha spent more on pharmacies than hospitals. As such, USD39 million were spent on clinics, USD24 million were spent on hospitals, USD7.3 million on clinics, USD2.5 million on eye clinics, and USD389,000 on prosthetic implants.
Statistics also show that Aasandha spent a total of USD389 million on private healthcare facilities in the past 10 years. As such, USD220 million were spent on pharmacies, USD117 million were spent on hospitals, USD40 million were spent on clinics, USD19 million were spent on eye clinics, and USD3.9 million were spent on prosthetic implants.
The national health insurance scheme was established for citizens to easily receive healthcare services. As such, patients are not required to directly pay for treatment at government hospitals and health centres under the insurance scheme. However, citizens have expressed concern over the rising cost of services at private hospitals and clinics, as the services are not fully covered by Aasandha.
The government has revealed that revisions will be made to Aasandha to reduce the cost of services at private healthcare facilities. The government stated that the national health insurance scheme will be made more efficient and cost-effective, which will in turn reduce the cost of services in the private health sector.