Madhana takes bids as goverment backs away from profit

National health insurance program Madhana will be privatised under a Public-Private Partnership to prevent “unwise” government control of a profitable business, said President Mohamed Nasheed.

The president said all citizens would be included in the insurance program by next January as long as Parliament passes the relevant Tax and Business Profit Tax bills.

An estimated Rf850 million will be spend on insuring the Maldives’ entire population. The government hopes to sign an agreement with Islamic Development Bank (IDB) in November, which would provide a US$258 million loan towards developing health services in Addu City, reports Haveeru.

The Madhana program will be handed over once proposals from local and foreign companies have been received and reviewed.

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Market to decide cost of private clinics, cabinet rules

The Maldivian government has dropped price controls of private health clinics months after clinics raised them illegally, according to President Mohamed Nasheed’s Press Secretary, Mohamed Zuhair.

The decision, recommended by the Cabinet, was a reaction to the rising costs of medical materials and consumables.

Earlier, the Health Ministry had approved a general consultation fee of Rf 75-100 (US$5-6), with Rf 300 (US$20) as the highest fee chargeable for a specialist consultation. So-called ‘super-specialists’  could charge more than Rf 300.

On May 12, 2011, Minivan News reported that private health clinics had raised consultation charges without government permission. The cost change was allegedly an effort to balance the devaluation of the dollar exchange rate following the government’s decision in May to implement a managed float of the rufiya.

“The private sector complained that the government had too much control over their services, and after the costs rose they weren’t able to fully operate,” Zuhair told Minivan News.

Zuhair said the government expects private clinic rates to remain moderate, and said most services will be eligible under the government’s Madhana health insurance program. The government also requires changes in medical service charges to be presented to the Ministry of Health one month before taking effect.

“The Minister of Health already has a wonderful system of monitoring in place, and whenever necessary the Ministry will propose a policy change,” said Zuhair. He added that the situation was not expected to be problematic. “The quality of treatment is equal at private clinics and public hospitals,” he claimed. “Now, people don’t have much to complain about.”

A senior informed source in the Maldives health sector told Minivan News that on average, private clinics were a Maldivian’s first choice for treatment. Although the medical treatment might be the same, the atmosphere and degree of personal supervision was often better at a clinic than at a hospital, the source said.

“Cost recovery is not the objective at most hospitals, which are subsidised,” the source explained, revealing that many patient bills at state-run hospitals only cover 25-35 percent of the total service.

“When people go to a hospital to get treated, they are not usually aware of what the hospital is able to provide,” said the source. “The treatment is fine, but hospitals need to increase the quality of care because people expect it, in spite of the low fees.”

The source said he believed that the competition between private clinics would keep costs affordable: “I think it’s good for the markets to determine the rate,” he said.

The source added that large clinics were likely to keep costs within the scope of the Madhana program, in order to maintain their clientele.

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News report links Maldives to Indian health insurance scheme

The Maldives is reportedly among a number of nations showing interest in an Indian health insurance scheme designed to aid workers earning below the poverty line from significant hospital costs.

The India-based Economic Times newspaper on Friday (July 1) quoted Anil Swarup, Director General for Labour Welfare in Delhi, as claiming that delegations from countries like the Maldives, Nigeria and Bangladesh had sought technical guidance on potentially implementing and running the Rashtriya Swastya Bima Yojana (RSBY) scheme in their respective nations.

The claims were made during a state-level workshop on the insurance scheme that was held in India.

RSBY was launched back in 2007 as a partially state-funded insurance plan to protect low earning families in the country by covering medical charges of up to Rs 30,000 (US$642) after the claimant pays a initial Rs30 (US$0.67) registration fee, the news report added. About 25 states in the country are reported to have signed up to the scheme.

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Immigration Ministry rethinks expatriate insurance amendments

Plans to begin requiring expatriate workers in the Maldives to enrol in medical insurance schemes from the beginning of the year have been delayed the Department of Immigration and Emigration, Haveeru has reported.

According to the paper, foreign workers already within the Maldives will also no longer be required to hold medical insurance by March 2011, due to a number of “requests”.

However, Immigration Controller Ilyas Hussein Ibrahim was quoted as saying that workers wishing to apply for work visas on a first time basis will be required to obtain insurance.  Ibrahim reportedly said that policies for determining whether suitable insurance policies were in place had not been decided upon.

“Because of the announcement, many people have begun insuring. It is something that must be done in the future. But right now only the new foreign workers are required to insure,” he told Haveeru.

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NSPA expands health insurance to cover poor

The National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) has said the list of people who received Zakat (alms for the poor) last year will be added to the government’s Madhana health insurance programme, reports Haveeru.

NPSA Chairman Ibrahim Waheed said the list, which includes orphans as well, has been requested at the Islamic ministry and island offices.

Over 30,000 people are registered as eligible for Zakat funds. The list will be verified before registration with Madhana, Waheed said.

Meanwhile, the ministry of fisheries and agriculture has re-opened applications for fishermen and farmers to join Madhana.

The decision was made following a number of requests from fishermen and farmers who missed the earlier deadline, reports Voice of Maldives.

The second round of applications will be open till June, while a verified list of those who applied earlier has been sent to the National Social Protection Agency for registration.

The ministry will pay half of the annual Rf2,000 fee for farmers and fishermen.

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NSPA introduces family package

The National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) has introduced a family package with a 50 per cent discount for its Madhana health insurance programme.

According to Haveeru, Ibrahim Waheed, NSPA Chairman, said the government would match the participant’s Rf1,000 if three or more people are included in the insurance scheme.

The package was introduced following complaints from the public over difficulties in paying the Rf2,000 annual charge, said Waheed.

Over 52,700 people have signed up for the Mahana health insurance policy.

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