Case of fraudulent medical prescriptions totaling over MVR 100,000

A performance audit report on Aasandha has revealed that the police are investigating a case where an individual allegedly used forged medical prescriptions to obtain medication worth over MVR 100,000 across multiple occasions. 

A Malé hospital first reported the problem to Aasandha in February 2023, according to the Auditor General's report on the National Health Insurance Scheme for the period of 2019–2024.

According to the audit, a complaint was made via the Aasandha hotline claiming that the suspect was obtaining medication by fraudulently using his father's identity. The suspect allegedly gathered prescription drugs from different pharmacies throughout Malé, even though the father did not live in the capital.

The complaint further specified that the individual involved has a prior criminal record related to drug abuse.

The fraudulent activity persisted despite the initial reports, and in July 2023 Aasandha received a second report. In December 2023, the business formally submitted the case to the Maldives Police Service.

The suspect allegedly continued to abuse the system even after being reported to the police, at one point appearing to consult doctors in two different parts of the Maldives on the same day, consultations that were not carried out through online portals.

According to the audit report's detailed findings, the suspect obtained MVR 112,586 worth of medication at Malé hospitals between February 2023 and April 2024 by pretending to be his father, and an additional MVR 25,080 worth of medication through Addu Hospital.

These amounts are four times higher than the actual cost of medications legally obtained by the father in his home island. The report also noted that the suspect had similarly inflated his own personal medical claims.