President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced that all expenses for mental health treatment will be covered by the national health insurance scheme, Aasandha, from January next year.
The President made the announcement while addressing at a special ceremony held to mark the two-year anniversary of his government.
In his address, the President emphasised that it was no longer appropriate for Aasandha to cover only a portion of treatment costs for people battling with their mental health.
"Previously, Aasandha did not cover mental illness treatment at all, and even to this day, it is not fully covered. This is surprising. We will change this, and from 1 January, Aasandha will fully cover all costs of mental health treatment," he said.
President Muizzu also highlighted the government’s efforts to strengthen the mental health treatment system. He noted that a USD 3.24 million project is being carried out to further develop the mental health centre in Guraidhoo, Kaafu Atoll, marking the first major upgrade to the facility. He further noted that the government’s dedicated mental health hotline has received over 10,000 calls over the past two years.
Mental health treatment in private clinics remains expensive, and many people have relied on various funds due to Aasandha not providing full coverage. The high cost of treatment has often deterred people from seeking treatment to address their mental health needs.
The government first arranged partial coverage of mental health treatment under Aasandha for the first time in 2020. While a significant number of people had to battle mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government began covering a certain percentage as the high costs of treatment was a major cause of concern for the public.
In his speech, the President also spoke on the government’s broader plans for the health sector. He noted that the current government is implementing various infrastructural development projects and resource allocation projects at various stages to improve the quality of healthcare services. The President said the quality of health services in the Maldives will improve significantly when the ongoing projects and important projects included in next year's budget are completed. He noted that one of the areas allocated the largest percentage in next year's budget is the health sector.
"Our budget for next year has included allocations to introduce numerous new services, including specialty services, at the Male’ City Group of Hospitals. Once these initiatives are completed, Maldivians will no longer have the need to travel abroad for treatment except under rare circumstances,” the President said.
The draft budget for next year has allocated USD 570 million to address challenges in the Maldives’ health system, with a budget of over USD 58 million allocated for Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) or infrastructural development projects.
Over the past 104 weeks, the government has launched major construction projects to expand healthcare services in both Male’ and the atolls. This includes the development of tertiary-level hospitals in five regions and the establishment of additional buildings and facilities to enhance regional health centres.