Audit reveals MVR 640m in Aasandha bills left unpaid by end of 2024
The audit also noted that unpaid dues are increasing at an average annual rate of seven percent. Private hospitals reported that delays in receiving payments within the stipulated credit periods have raised operational costs, creating challenges for their sustainable management.
Aasandha fails to pay MVR 640 million in bills, hindering private hospitals | President's Office
The performance audit report of Aasandha Company has revealed that an estimated MVR 640 million in outstanding bills remained unpaid by the end of 2024.
The report stressed that regular payment of bills is essential to maintaining the financial stability of the scheme and ensuring the confidence of service providers.
It warned that if the scheme's expenditures continue to grow faster than its revenue, the state will struggle to meet its financial obligations to service providers, undermining the sustainable management of the scheme. Although a significant portion of debt from previous years was cleared during 2023 and 2024, MVR 640,608,347 remained unpaid at the end of 2024.
The audit also noted that unpaid dues are increasing at an average annual rate of seven percent. Private hospitals reported that delays in receiving payments within the stipulated credit periods have raised operational costs, creating challenges for their sustainable management.
According to the audit figures, the total expenditure of the scheme for 2024 was MVR 2,354,540,884. Out of this, MVR 2,418,017,947 was paid towards bills during the year. However, the outstanding balance at year-end stood at MVR 640,608,347.
To ensure the scheme operates in accordance with the legal framework, the Auditor General’s Office instructed the Ministry of Social Protection and Family, the Ministry of Health, the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA), and the Aasandha Management Board to take immediate action.
The authorities are urged to fulfill their mandates, ensure compliance with laws and regulations, and collaborate to make Aasandha a sustainable scheme, in line with the vision of "Universal Health Coverage," the third goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The audit further highlighted that repeated diagnostic tests by patients at different medical facilities have unnecessarily increased Aasandha’s expenditure.
To address this, the Ministry of Health has been instructed to take prompt measures to reduce such costs and standardize the varying prices charged by different hospitals for similar medical services.
