Aasandha and the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) cannot reduce their costs unless the government hospitals in Male' and the atolls are developed, NSPA CEO Heena Waleed said today.
Heena was responding to a question by an MP in the Social Affairs Committee of the Parliament on the solution to the problem of the high cost of getting health care in private hospitals.
Aasandha CEO Aiminath Zeeniya, who also attended the committee meeting, agreed that the private sector prices were high and said the plan was to set package prices that could be agreed upon by both parties.
She said this would require the cooperation of the government and Parliament.
Zeeniya also said that government hospitals, especially Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and Dharumavantha Hospital, should be improved to solve the problem.
Noting that many people travel to Male' from the islands for medical treatment, she said everyone chooses the fastest option due to the long wait lists in IGMH and Dharumavantha.
NSPA CEO Heena said NSPA bears the burden of rising prices in private hospitals. She said costs cannot be reduced unless facilities are established in government hospitals to provide treatment and services available in private hospitals.
MVR 1.8 billion was spent on private hospitals between 2012 and 2022, according to figures released by Aasandha last year.
