For health insurance services, there will now be one service provider at every level. According to the amendments made in the Health Insurance Act 2074, now when the Health Insurance Board contracts, it is stipulated that there should be at least one service provider organization at each level.
Health and Population Minister Pradeep Paudel took the amendment proposal in this regard to the cabinet meeting and the law was approved and amended. According to the provisions of the amended law, it is expected that the problem of not being able to get services in the municipality even if they have become insurance members before will end . In the clarification section of the amendment of the Act, it is explained that, "Previously, the referral should be taken from the level where the permanent address has been taken, but in the new arrangement, the first service point means the health institution chosen by the insured to receive health care first".
On this basis, it will be possible if you want to maintain the first point in the insured working area . Minister Paudel's secretariat has informed that preparations have been made to revise the health insurance regulations for this. According to this, after the amendment of the regulations, the Ministry believes that the situation of having to go to the place of permanent address to get insurance facilities from the place of employment will be reduced. Minister Paudel made a public commitment to make arrangements so that services can be taken from the place where the insured is.
According to Prakash Budhathoki, spokesperson of the ministry, through the amendment, there is an alternative arrangement until the executive director is appointed. (4) of the Act, after sub-section (5) of section 25 the following sub-section (6) is added . In which it is mentioned that "if the post of executive director becomes vacant for any reason, the ministry can depute at least eleven level employees of the Nepal Health Service under the ministry to act as executive director until the executive director is appointed in accordance with sub-section (3) of section 22" .
It has opened the way for the Ministry of Health and Population to appoint employees as executive directors with full powers instead of acting executives until the executive director is appointed. According to the Secretariat of Minister Paudel, this can solve the problem related to the vacancy of the executive director in the future.
