Parliament committee closes insurance meeting to media over ‘misrepresented’ reports

Parliament's General Purposes Committee on Monday closed a meeting on MPs' health insurance to the public and media after members alleged that news outlets had misrepresented discussions held at the committee's previous sitting.

The committee was scheduled to meet representatives of Allied Insurance on Monday to discuss difficulties MPs say they face when accessing services provided under their health insurance package.

The meeting followed a discussion held by the committee last Tuesday, when members raised concerns about accessing medical treatment through the insurance scheme.

At Monday's sitting, Feydhoo MP Ibrahim Didi of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) proposed that the meeting with Allied Insurance be held behind closed doors.

"Because the statements made during our previous meeting were misrepresented and reported differently, I propose proceeding with today's meeting as a closed session without journalists," Ibrahim Didi said.

He said the committee was not discussing an insurance package for the public or seeking to increase the benefits available to MPs.

"This is because we are not talking about a general insurance package concerning the public. It is strictly the parliamentary members' package. And we are not talking about expanding the package. We are looking into how we can facilitate easier access to the services currently provided within the existing package," he said.

Ibrahim Didi accused news outlets of reporting the previous discussion in a manner that he said misled the public.

"We did not talk about expanding the insurance package at all. We spoke about the difficulties in accessing services under the existing insurance package. That is why we wanted to meet with Allied Insurance to share those concerns," he said.

Holhudhoo MP Abdul Sathar Mohamed, also of the PNC, seconded the proposal to close the meeting.

Committee Chair and Hulhudhoo MP Mohamed Shahid subsequently announced that the motion had been approved unanimously by members present.

Before Ibrahim Didi submitted the motion, Shahid also criticised reporting on the committee's previous meeting.

"What was reported in the news is not how we spoke. We spoke about difficulties within the insurance services that the insurance company had agreed to provide to our members," Shahid said.

"For instance, the delays and other difficulties members encounter when seeking medical services at a hospital."

During last week's committee meeting, Ibrahim Didi and Shahid were the only members who spoke about the issue with their microphones switched on. Other members discussed the matter off-microphone, meaning their comments could not be heard on Parliament's YouTube broadcast.

In their comments captured on the broadcast, Ibrahim Didi and Shahid did not specify the difficulties MPs had encountered or refer to delays at hospitals. A recording of the meeting remains available on Parliament's YouTube channel.

During that meeting, Ibrahim Didi said MPs had faced difficulties when seeking medical treatment in the Maldives and abroad through their health insurance.

He asked the committee to determine what changes had been made to the service and whether there were differences in the hospitals and facilities covered under the scheme.

Shahid also explained that MPs' health insurance is put out to international tender, with contracts generally awarded for one year.

According to Shahid, Allied Insurance and Amana Takaful have been the only companies to submit bids for the service in previous years.

"No other party besides Allied and Amana Takaful has expressed interest to date. I believe the reason might be that our insurance package is too small for them. Because the premium amount is small, they might find it unviable," Shahid said at the previous meeting.

The committee decided at the end of last week's discussion to summon Allied Insurance representatives to discuss the issues raised by MPs. Monday's meeting with the company proceeded after the committee voted to close the sitting to the public and media.