The government has decided to bring transformations to the national health insurance system, with a focus on enhancing societal welfare. Aasandha Company Limited, which is responsible for providing health insurance to all citizens, currently administers a system that delivers services uniformly to all individuals, regardless of their socio-economic status. This approach has led to inefficiencies and challenges in delivering services in a sustainable and cost-effective manner.
The government’s financial support to Aasandha has been progressively increasing, with contributions rising from USD 116.7 million in 2023 to USD 123 million this year. As government expenditures on Aasandha's services continue to grow, concerns have been raised about the sustainability of these expenditures. Experts have urged for reforms to address the wasteful expenses within the system. Therefore, the government has decided to undertake necessary reforms to Aasandha, aiming to reduce inequality gap in providing healthcare services and stabilise the economy.
Speaking on the government's decision to commence the efforts to bring reformations to the Aasandha system on October, Minister of Finance Dr. Mohamed Shafeeq acknowledged the essential role of Aasandha for residents and assured that any changes will be implemented only after thorough consultation with the public, ensuring that no modifications will adversely affect residents. The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to reducing wasteful expenditures associated with Aasandha.
Furthermore, Minister Dr. Shafeeq outlined the government's efforts to identify and eliminate wasteful spending within Aasandha. The minister added that efforts are ongoing to ensure the provision of financial assistance to individuals seeking assistance for treatment. He stated that an important step of this initiative will include stopping the various ways in which the company incurs wasteful expenses. He further revealed that if an individual has alternative health insurance, Aasandha will cover only the remaining costs not covered by the other insurance