MVR 727 million spent on police and MNDF medical care in three years

The state has spent MVR 727 million on medical treatment for Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and police officers over the past three years, with costs rising steadily each year.

According to documents submitted to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, a large portion of the National Social Protection Agency’s (NSPA) budget is consumed by healthcare for security forces and their families.

In total, MVR 324 million was spent on MNDF medical treatment between 2021 and 2023. Of this, 80 percent; MVR 260 million was spent on the treatment of officers’ families. Around MVR 253 million was spent on treatment in Maldives, while MVR 7 million went to overseas treatment.

Expenditure on MNDF health care rose from MVR 77 million in 2021 to MVR 142 million in 2023, an increase of about 80 percent. The Auditor General’s report also flagged that 2023 spending was 35 percent above budgeted levels.

The police incurred even higher medical costs, totaling MVR 465 million over the three year period. Of this, MVR 341 million was spent on treatment in the Maldives and MVR 62 million on treatment abroad.

In 2021, police health care cost MVR 106 million. By 2023, this figure had risen to MVR 167 million, an increase of 57 percent.

Earlier when police were established as a separate institution from the MNDF, their medical care was initially covered by Allied Insurance. However, that scheme was discontinued in 2011, and a dedicated health system similar to the MNDF’s was set up.

Police receive the largest health budget allocation among state institutions, according to the report.