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A public petition demanding the repeal of special health insurance coverage for Members of Parliament and their families has gathered enough signatures to force a formal debate on the parliamentary floor.
News Desk
Previously held maldives parliament sitting - Photo: People's Majlis
MALÉ: A public petition calling for the abolition of special health insurance for Members of Parliament (MPs) has gathered 3,329 signatures, successfully crossing the legal threshold required to mandate a debate on the floor of the People’s Majlis.
The petition was launched by the founder of Commoners’ NGO Midhuam Saud, who previously started a petition opposing proposed amendments to the Decentralization Act. With 42 days remaining before the official submission deadline, signature counts are expected to grow further.
Under the Parliamentary Privileges Act, lawmakers, their spouses, and children under 18 years old receive medical insurance covering treatment across the Maldives, SAARC nations, and ASEAN countries. This privilege also extends to former parliamentarians.
The petition argues that funding exclusive medical coverage for representatives using public funds is unjustified while ordinary citizens rely on the national healthcare system:
Equal Healthcare Standards: The petition asserts that public representatives should utilize the same national health insurance scheme — Aasandha—provided to general citizens.
Public Expense: It highlights that even wealthier nations do not offer taxpayer-funded, multi-country health insurance schemes exclusively to elected lawmakers.
Parliamentary rules mandate specific procedures once signature thresholds are met:
Threshold Requirements: A petition signed by 0.2 percent of the population (840 signatures) can be submitted to a committee, while reaching 0.5 percent (2,100 signatures) requires a full floor debate. The current petition has surpassed both limits.
Committee Review: The Petitions Committee must hold its initial meeting within two working days of receiving the document to bring the matter to the government’s attention and forward it to the Speaker of Parliament for floor debate.
Government Response: The government must declare its position and submit proposed solutions to Parliament within 30 working days (excluding public holidays).
