Aasandha has said the transfer of several welfare-related services to the national health insurance provider will make it easier for the public to apply for assistance without having to navigate multiple systems.
Following the transfer of 16 services previously administered by the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) from today, Aasandha said applications for medical welfare assistance must now be submitted through the My Aasandha Portal.
In a statement, the company said applicants can access the main Aasandha portal, select the assistance they require and submit their requests through a single platform.
Aasandha said the changes will allow people to apply simultaneously for support under both the Aasandha scheme and medical welfare programmes, eliminating the need to submit separate applications through different channels.
The company added that the new system is expected to speed up application processing and enable faster decisions on assistance requests.
The social welfare system was introduced in 2008, with the establishment of the NSPA to administer a range of support programmes.
Services transferred under Aasandha:
- Procuring and providing medication for people suffering from Gaucher's disease.
- Providing medication required for cancer treatment.
- Assisting individuals seeking medication required for ongoing treatment that is unavailable in the Maldives or not included in the approved drug list.
- Providing financial assistance to procure medication not available in the Maldives as well as commonly required medication.
- Arranging additional tickets for individuals who require travel abroad for medical treatment after Aasandha is approved.
- Providing assistance for medical issues faced by students studying abroad.
- Providing assistance for tests and investigations not covered by public hospitals and Aasandha.
- Providing assistance for various equipment and machines (assistive devices) as well as medical consumables required to carry forward treatments.
- Assisting individuals (within the established guidelines) who need to return to the Maldives or return to their home island after completing treatment, upon advice from a relevant specialist doctor that no further treatment can be given.
- Providing follow-up care after bone marrow transplants for children with thalassemia.
- Providing assistance in relation to difficulties faced after traveling abroad for treatment at one's own expense.
- Making referrals to seek medical treatment from abroad.
- Changing the hospital designated for medical treatment abroad and obtaining consent.
- Extending the coverage of the Merana Scheme if an emergency situation arises for Maldivians registered under the scheme.
- Handling instances of rejection when a doctor filling out a form from an island is not a specialist in that field, and notifying the patient to seek a second opinion would cause additional hardships, and even though the reason submitted for referral is for a treatment unavailable from the island, it is available from Malé.
- Increasing limits or providing additional assistance after committee reconsideration when individuals sent abroad with a designated limit under the welfare scheme submit for reconsideration.
Among the services managed by the agency are assistance for medical treatments not covered under Aasandha, as well as allowances and support programmes for single mothers and people with disabilities.
