The national health insurance provider, Aasandha Company Limited, has revealed over 81,000 people had sought psychological treatment through the national health insurance scheme over the last two years.
As per the statistics shared by Aasandha, 81,864 people had sought psychological treatment through Aasandha between February 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021. This includes 43,988 patients in 2020 and 37,876 patients in 2021. The psychological treatment provided through Aasandha during this period amounts to over USD1.6 million.
Before Aasandha expanded its coverage of mental health services across all healthcare facilities, the service was only available at the Centre for Mental Health established at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in 2019. The establishment of the Centre for Mental Health also saw an increase in people seeking psychological treatment, with over 44,000 mental health patients recorded during 2019 compared to an annual average of 10,000-35,000 during previous years.
The prevalence of psychological issues increased in the Maldives amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a detailed study is yet to be conducted on mental health issues in the Maldives.