MVR 45m left in Aasandha budget as we approach year end

Statistics shared by Aasandha Company with Sun Online have shown that MVR45 million is left in the budget of the universal health insurance scheme Aasandha, introduced on 1 January 2012.

MVR720 million was initially assigned for the free healthcare system Aasandha.

Aasandha Company's records show that from 1 January to 31 October 2012, MVR675 million was used by 261,410 people via the Aasandha system .

This means that 81 percent of the total population of Maldives of 320,081 obtained the services of Aasandha during that period.

Of the MVR675 million, 45 percent was spent on government hospitals, 22 percent on private clinics and hospitals, and 9 percent on foreign clinics and hospitals.

While 36 percent of Aasandha was spent on the private sector, 55 percent was spent on the public sector.

The top diseases for which Aasandha was utilised were diabetes, blood pressure, heart diseases, heart surgeries, eye diseases, kidney diseases and fever.

Initially, every citizen was entitled to free healthcare up to MVR100,000 under Aasandha.

Changes were made to the scheme by the government in August for the private sector, following concerns that the scheme might run out of money.