Kathmandu. KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa has pledged to make health insurance a national pride programme.
Issuing a public message through social media on Sunday, former Health Minister Thapa pledged to make the health insurance programme a national pride program by correcting the shortcomings of the health insurance program.
KATHMANDU: The private sector hospitals have started shutting down their treatment services after the government failed to pay the claims amount to the health institutions associated with the health insurance programme. The government is yet to pay Rs 11 billion to the hospital.
The government has not been able to bear the expenses of the government. It has been limited to Rs 25,000. The government has set a limit on the maximum amount of OPD services. However, the limit of annual treatment service is Rs. Rs 1 lakh has been retained.
Thapa stressed the need of making health insurance mandatory for every Nepali citizen to increase all’s access to health services. He said that the tax on tobacco products, alcohol and other goods could be increased and the tax money could be spent for insurance.
He said that the insurance program could move ahead effectively if the programmes related to social security and health were integrated, operated under the insurance scheme and the coordination among the three tiers of government were integrated and strengthened. Stressing on the participation of the private sector, he said, “We need to create a situation to provide insurance services from all health institutions including the private sector.” ’
How to make arrangements to make the service effective and timely payment of money by stopping the leakage in the health insurance program, how to make structural reforms? He said that he has done his homework in this regard.
He claimed that after the election to the House of Representatives, the risk of insurance can be increased and arrangements can be made to provide all the treatment to the insured. He said that no Nepali would be deprived of medical treatment due to lack of money if the insurance system could be improved and the service could be made effective.
The health insurance programme was implemented in Nepal when Thapa was the health minister.
