Kathmandu. The madhes province, represented by Health Minister Pradeep Yadav, is in the worst condition of access to health insurance among the seven provinces. According to the Nepal Health Fact Sheet published by the Department of Health Services, only 5.1 percent of the population in Madhesh has benefited from the health insurance program.
According to the report, fiscal year 2077. The health insurance programme covered only 2.8 percent of the population of Madhes province. 2078. It increased to 5.1 per cent in 2017-19, but in the last fiscal year 2019/ 2019. In 80, it could not expand, it remained the same.
Karnali province is better off than Madhes province on the basis of the percentage of population benefited from the health insurance programme. In Karnali fiscal year 2079. By 80, 13.2 percent of the total population was covered in this program. The Karnali state government is also providing 50 to 100 percent subsidy on health insurance for remote areas, senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
Gandaki province is the first and Koshi state is the second most benefited from the health insurance program. Gandaki’s 26.9 percent and Koshi’s 26.5 percent population are covered in this program.
Although the benefits can be expanded through the insurance program due to the lack of easy access to health services in Madhes province, the state government has not given much importance to health insurance in the policies and programs of the upcoming fiscal year.
The population of pregnant women giving birth with the help of health workers is also less in Madhes province than in Karnali province. While 72.5 per cent of pregnant women in Karnali have availed services from health institutions or trained health volunteers, only 66.6 per cent of pregnant women in Madhes have availed such services. Of the seven provinces, except Madhes and Karnali, the condition of the remaining five provinces is up to 88 percent above the national average of 79.3 percent.
Madhes province is also at the bottom in the mandatory vaccination of newborns. Only 68 per cent of the newborns in the age group of 12 to 23 months in Madhes have been vaccinated. The vaccination rate of newborns is 79.3 per cent at the national level.
Madhes province has 29.3 per cent children under five years of age with lower body height and height compared to age. This is only a little less than Karnali. Due to lack of adequate diet and nutritious food, children’s physical growth is small compared to age. According to the Department of Health Services, the risk of death of such malnourished children is higher than that of other normal children.
