Lanka Hospital, situated in nearby Sri Lanka, has discontinued Aasandha services due to outstanding payments.

Discussions regarding the contract renewal between Lanka Hospital and Aasandha failed because of outstanding bills, resulting in the termination of Aasandha services at the hospital.

Approximately 1,800 Maldivians live in Sri Lanka, and Aasandha services were previously offered at three hospitals: Lanka Hospital, Lanka Durdans Hospital, and Nawaloka Hospital.

Sri Lanka is one of the nations where Aasandha service is available for Maldivians residing overseas under the ‘Merana’ program.

An audit report from the Auditor General’s Office on Tuesday evaluated the performance of Aasandha and NSPA from 2019 to 2024, revealing that MVR 35.8 billion was allocated for medical treatment in that timeframe, averaging MVR 5.9 billion annually. Out of this, MVR 16 billion was allocated specifically for the Aasandha scheme.

International financial institutions have consistently recommended that the Maldives focus subsidies and medical aid solely on low-income populations. Nonetheless, no administration has put these recommendations into action.

The audit suggests a range of corrective actions, which include:

Implementing a focused subsidy program for individuals needing government assistance to obtain healthcare services.

- Establishing upper limits for medicine retail prices

- Establishing a co-payment model for individuals pursuing medical care overseas.

- Enhancing preventive health measures to lower long-term expenses.

In contrast, the present government has recently increased Aasandha coverage to 65 percent for Maldivians living in the Philippines under the 'Merana' scheme.