The Parliament's Petitions Committee has decided to send an e-petition calling for the abolition of the costly health insurance scheme provided from the state budget to sitting and former Members of Parliament to the floor for debate.
The committee approved the move at its meeting yesterday after extensive deliberation on the petition, which was initiated by activist Midhuam Saud and signed by 7,225 people. The petition met the thresholds set under Parliament's rules of procedure and is the second most-signed e-petition in the history of Parliament.
Under the Parliament Privileges Act, sitting members and their families, as well as former members, are entitled to lifelong health insurance covering treatment at expensive hospitals in countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.
However, the petition states that granting such special privileges to one group from taxpayers' money is unacceptable, noting that even developed countries do not offer permanent schemes of this kind to former members.
The petitioners are therefore calling for amendments to the law so that members receive healthcare on an equal footing with all other Maldivian citizens, through the national health system.
Following the committee's decision, the petition will be debated by the full House at a sitting to be scheduled by the Speaker's office, and then put to a vote.
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