MDP called on the government to take action to prevent interruptions to the service due to lack of funding.
Parliament Speaker has decided to reject the emergency motion submitted by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which called on the government to ensure uninterrupted access to Aasandha services, citing that the motion not eligible.
The emergency motion, submitted by Galolhu North MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu), was rejected by Parliament Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla, who stated that it violated Article 197 of the Parliament Regulations.
Referring to the article, Speaker Abdul Raheem said that an emergency motion must be related to a sudden issue or an event that has occurred within the last seven days.
"According to Article 197(A) of the Parliament Regulation, the condition for the emergency motion is not met. Therefore, there will be no vote taken on the matter," he said.
MDP Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail shared the emergency motion on social media, expressing concerns after the ruling party, the People’s National Congress (PNC), which holds a majority in Parliament, rejected the motion.
The emergency motion highlighted that hospitals and clinics had stopped providing Aasandha services to individuals seeking doctor consultations and tests. This had led to an increase in public complaints about the need to pay for these services out of pocket.
The motion referred the National System of Social Health Insurance Act, which stipulates that in cases of financial difficulty in running the insurance scheme, a request for the necessary funds should be sent to the Ministry of Finance.
MDP called on the government to take action to prevent interruptions to the service due to lack of funding.
The government recently introduced changes to the Aasandha scheme, where it will only cover free healthcare once other enrolled private insurance schemes have been exhausted.
As a result, some private insurance providers have halted offering cashless services. Cashless service allows patients to receive treatment without directly paying, with billing transactions handled between the hospital and the insurance provider.
With the halt of cashless services, patients are now required to pay the hospitals directly.
However, Allied Insurance has since resumed offering cashless services.
As public concern over the issue grew, the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) announced that Aasandha would still be available in cases where patients must pay out of pocket for health services.
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