Nazim rejects claim Aasandha makes people beg for care

Minister of Health Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim has rejected claims that Aasandha system requires patients to beg to receive treatment.

In today's parliament sitting, Keyodhoo MP Mohamed Niushad said that Aasandha is now shaped in a way that requires the public to beg for coverage for treatments. 

Nazim responded that Aasandha was set up for the purpose of bringing an end to people needing to beg for healthcare. He stated that he did not believe the system required patients to resort to begging. 

"Based on my own experience, what I have observed in this, the expenditure Maldives has made on Aasandha, how Aasandha is improving... based on all of this, I am strongly of the opinion that the Aasandha system is not shaped like that. It is the most generous health system in the world that is being provided to the citizens," Nazim asserted. 

Nazim said that foreign health experts who visit the Maldives also observe the Aasandha system and highly praise it. 

The minister further said that Maldives' biggest achievement in regards to sustainable development milestones set by the UN is also how universal health coverage is provided. 

Nazim stated that, compared to many countries, the Maldives' social security system offers doctor consultations and medicine at a strong standard. 

Nazim conceded that Aasandha being a system, it too has SOPs and issues that need further improvement. He noted that it is MPs who most strongly advocate for establishing a robust system under which doctor prescriptions are sought and submitted for health aid. 

As such, the concerns with Aasandha, too, is that in some situations, some requirements under the SOPs are not met, he said, adding that he readily accepts this.

"What I do not accept is that the Aasandha system requires people to beg, it is very difficult for me to accept that. That is because I know how the system works. Because I monitor how it is operated."

"As a public servant running the Health Ministry, and as someone who oversees this, what I know is that things are not like that at all. But, with SOPs being solid, god willing Aasandha is proceeding as a very generous system. That is our biggest achievement," Nazim said. 

Despite these remarks by the minister, several posts are seen on social media daily where people are appealing for assistance for various treatments. 

Aasandha was previously run by the Aasandha Company, under the oversight of the Health Ministry. This administration has transferred Aasandha under the Social Development Ministry.