Market to decide cost of private clinics, cabinet rules
22 Aug 2011, 5:09 PM
Eleanor Johnstone
The Maldivian government has dropped price controls of private health clinics months after clinics raised them illegally, according to President Mohamed Nasheed’s Press Secretary, Mohamed Zuhair.
The decision, recommended by the Cabinet, was a reaction to the rising costs of medical materials and consumables.
Earlier, the Health Ministry had approved a general consultation fee of Rf 75-100 (US$5-6), with Rf 300 (US$20) as the highest fee chargeable for a specialist consultation. So-called ‘super-specialists’ could charge more than Rf 300.
On May 12, 2011, Minivan News reported that private health clinics had raised consultation charges without government permission. The cost change was allegedly an effort to balance the devaluation of the dollar exchange rate following the government’s decision in May to implement a managed float of the rufiya.
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