Over 80 percent of the annual budget for the national health scheme, Aasandha, has already been spent within the first four months of the year.

The state had allocated a budget of MVR 1 billion for the health scheme, which allows Maldivians free access to healthcare.

However, the weekly fiscal development report released by Finance Ministry shows that MVR 862 million of the budget has already been spent. This marks 82.4 percent of the total annual budget that was allotted for Aasandha. This is also an increase of 51.7 percent in comparison to the same period last year.

Total expenditure of Aasandha for the same period last year stood at MVR 567.9 million.

Over half of the budget for Aasandha was also spent before mid-year last year as well with MVR 730.9 million being spent by then. With an additional; budget of MVR 906.7 which was passed in the supplementary budget in October 2022, the total annual budget of Aasandha stood at MVR 1.6 billion last year.

International financial organisations have also expressed concerns over the increased state expenditure on services such as Aasandha, and has advised the government to reduce their spending on subsidies as well in order to further strengthen the governing.