Scope of health insurance will be expanded, says PM Dahal

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has announced expanding the scope of health insurance.

In his address to the nation on Tuesday, Prime Minister Dahal said the insurance scheme has not proceeded according to the spirit of the National Health Insurance Act introduced during his previous tenure in 2074. However, the current government will improve it to realise the constitutional right of citizens to health with a high priority, he said. For this, policy and procedural reforms for the effective implementation of insurance, capacity building of the insurance board, strong monitoring and evaluation mechanism, increasing in the scope of insurance coverage and comprehensive improvement in the structure and quality of services, he informed that the government is taking care of the insurance.

The prime minister also expressed the commitment to increase the current ceiling in insurance coverage, while all the free health programmes will be included in the health insurance in an integrated manner.

With a focus on health insurance, the health system will be developed according to the integrated health infrastructure development standards, he said.