Social Health Insurance to be launched in August

Work is underway to launch the government initiated social health insurance scheme by the late August reveals the senior official in charge of setting up the scheme. Thorig Ali Luthfee , the senior most officials in charge of setting up the scheme informed Miadhu Daily that the scheme will be introduced in phases. “With the launching of the Social Health Insurance Scheme, the first phase will be to introduce the scheme to the people registered in the social welfare department, and then it will be introduced to retired civil servants and government employees. When I say government employees, I mean those working in civil service as well as those working for the government outside civil service. We will introduce these groups in this order, one by one” Thorig revealed. Thorig informed that the main objective is to introduce the scheme to all Maldivians by the end of year 2010. Thorig also informed that scheme will benefit all Maldivians and the main priority of the government when introducing such a scheme is to ensure that the full benefits of the system are reached to the citizens on easy and convenient terms. “The scheme being introduced will provide the necessary health care to the respective individual when the individual goes to a registered health service provider, through the use of the national identity cards we can monitor what health services are obtained through our network, we are not employing insurance cards and things like that, the scheme will establish systems of obtaining health care” revealed Thorig. When asked, how much an individual is entitled for health care under the scheme Thorig replied that the aim was to provide quality health care over a sustained period of time. “We are thinking of providing quality health care, rather than imposing limits, the scheme is introduced for the benefit of everyone” he said. President in presidential address this year has informed that a social health insurance scheme is to be introduced for government employees, their families and to those who require financial assistance to satisfy the most essential and basic needs. Attempts were made by Ministry of Higher Education Employment and Social Welfare early last year to establish health care scheme for government staff. However the attempts did not succeed.