Kathmandu, April 8
The 10th Health Insurance Day is being celebrated today by organising various programmes. The Day is being observed with the theme – ‘State Investment, Citizens’ Contribution: Health Insurance Joint Campaign’.
The health insurance programme is an important social security initiative introduced by the government under the concept of providing financial protection by proactively managing the risk of unplanned expenses incurred during the use of health services.
This programme, which began in 2015 as social health security with the aim of providing citizens with accessible quality health services and ensuring health services for all based on social health insurance to improve health service utilisation, is currently being operated by the Health Insurance Board.
It is stated that this programme will play a significant role in advancing Nepal towards achieving universal health access and attaining the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The Constitution of Nepal provides the right to free basic health services and social security. Article 51 (h) of the current Constitution mentions ensuring citizens’ health insurance and providing access to healthcare under the policy related to citizens’ basic needs.
The Health Insurance Act 2074 has been enacted to protect the right of citizens to receive quality health services, to reduce the financial risk of the insured through prepayment by health insurance, and to ensure easy access of the general public to health services by enhancing the efficiency and accountability of health service providers.
It has been stated that the enactment of the Health Insurance Regulations, 2075, to further systematise this work, has been an important milestone for the health insurance programme. This regulation increases the current facility package twofold and provides health insurance of one hundred thousand rupees annually as a separate unit, with the government paying the insurance premium for senior citizens. Similarly, the board has stated that a mandatory arrangement has been made for the entire organised sector to be enrolled in insurance by contributing one per cent of their income
