Aasandha Company Limited has stated it is investigating cases of patients being overbilled by some pharmacies.
The national health insurance company stated some pharmacies have billed patients for more expensive types of medicines. Aasandha stated it has also penalised pharmacies that were found to have shortened the time period for patients' medicine use prescribed by doctors and that it has also investigated and penalised pharmacies for falsifying billing statements.
The company has also published a mobile application to help uncover more such cases as well as provide its services in an easy-to-use and transparent manner. Customers can check their Aasandha services and medicine history through the company's online portal, Vinavi.
Aasandha stated it consistently reviews the price of medicines available through the national health insurance scheme and work to negotiate with importers to keep the prices low. Aasandha also highlighted the issues faced in lowering prices of medicines that have market-exclusivity, adding it has been successful in lowering the price of Zovanta, which is an anti-ulcer medicine. The company predicts that lowering the price of this one medicine could reduce the company's yearly expenses by around USD 800,000.
Since Aasandha's largest expense comes from pharmacies, over the past few years, it has worked to stabilise the price of medicine that are not regulated by the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA). In 2019, Aasandha and its affiliated pharmacies agreed to sell the same brands of medicine at the same price.