President Muizzu Enacts Major Reforms to Improve Aasandha Healthcare Scheme

In a significant move to ease financial burdens and address persistent medicine shortages, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has enacted a series of comprehensive reforms to the national healthcare insurance scheme, Aasandha. These changes, recommended by the cabinet, follow a detailed review of a proposal submitted by the Ministry of Health during Sunday’s cabinet meeting.

According to the President’s Office, the reforms will introduce a mechanism to ensure all prescribed medicines in the Maldives are registered under Aasandha. Additionally, treatment guidelines will be finalized to standardize medical practices across the healthcare system.

To enhance medicine availability, a dashboard is being developed to enable doctors to check medicine stock through the State Trading Organisation (STO). The President’s Office stated that doctors will be informed of these updates to ensure a smooth transition to the new system.

The government has also mandated that all approved medicines remain continuously available in STO pharmacies. To further address shortages, STO will obtain permissions to import medicines from foreign hospitals empanelled by Aasandha, in compliance with Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) policies. As a long-term measure, STO will establish direct procurement from manufacturers to ensure a steady supply.

As part of the reforms, four General Practitioner (GP) clinics will be established in Malé, ensuring uninterrupted access to medicines through STO pharmacies. This initiative will extend to all islands and regional hospitals, with STO supplying medicines to islands upon request. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will play a role in facilitating medicine imports.

To improve service delivery, the health ministry will address any issues referred to them, while inpatients will have direct access to medicines from hospitals through STO. The MFDA will implement a tracking system for all imported medicines, and a digital platform will be introduced to allow patients to check the availability and location of medicines via their prescriptions.

In his presidential address, President Dr. Muizzu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring that citizens do not face obstacles or financial hardships when obtaining medicines through Aasandha.