Individuals earning more than MVR 60,000 per month will be required to pay 15% of their medical expenses as a co-payment when receiving treatment at facilities other than government hospitals under Aasandha, the Maldives’ universal public health insurance scheme.

According to an announcement issued by the Ministry of Health on Saturday, the new policy will take effect in January 2027 as part of reforms to the Aasandha scheme.

Under the revised policy, high-income earners will be required to cover 15% of treatment costs at private hospitals and clinics. The co-payment requirement will also apply to those referred abroad for medical treatment, with no exemptions for high-income earners.

However, doctors, technical professionals in the medical and aviation sectors, pilots, engineers and technical professionals working in science-based fields will be exempt from the policy, even if their monthly income exceeds MVR 60,000.

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has stated that Aasandha has traditionally provided equal coverage to everyone, regardless of their financial status. However, arguing that this approach was not the fairest option, the Government decided to introduce co-payment or pre-payment arrangements for higher-income earners.

The Government estimates that the policy change will save MVR 287 million annually from the state budget. These savings could then be allocated to other public needs.