The Health Insurance Board has decided to suspend government health insurance facilities in private health institutions, citing the growing financial crisis. This decision will be effective from 16 Jestha, the statement issued by the insurance board said.

'The board meeting held on Monday has decided to suspend health insurance services other than emergency services in private hospitals until a new decision is made,' said the board's information officer, Vikesh Malla. 'This decision has been taken with the aim of reducing the growing financial crisis faced by the board.'

Earlier, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center, along with other major hospitals in the country and some medical colleges, had suspended services under the government health insurance program. The hospitals have been saying that they had to suspend services after not receiving payment for the services provided to patients.'

Government hospitals like Bir Hospital and government-subsidized hospitals like Shahid Gangalal National Heart Center have also been providing only partial services to patients under the health insurance program. All these problems have started in the past five months. Insured people who visit the listed hospitals for treatment have been saying that the government has cheated them.

‘What can we do after the government backs down from the promises it made when it introduced the insurance program?’ Public health expert Dr. Krishnaman Shakya said, ‘What can poor patients do after the government has cheated them! Why would anyone trust a government that cannot fulfill the promises it made when selling the insurance program?’

Thousands of patients receiving services under the health insurance program are suffering due to continuous policy changes. There are problems of patients being deprived of health services, including surgeries, and having to pay from their pockets.

The complaints filed by insured patients with the Health Insurance Board include discrimination in treatment, long queues, months of waiting for surgeries, being forced to pay lab and medicine bills, and not getting free medicines.

According to officials, the Health Insurance Board has yet to pay 18 billion rupees to hospitals for treatment expenses as of mid-May. Since then, treatment expenses have been increasing by about 20 million rupees every day. Malla said that the board was forced to take such a decision due to increasing financial responsibilities.

Public health expert Shakya said that the government should not become like a profit-seeking businessman. He said that the continuous cuts in health services and schemes will lead to a loss of public trust in the government. ‘How can we provide health services to everyone by refusing to provide services for the money paid in advance by the public?’ He said, ‘If the government behaves like this, the people will be helpless.’

The government had introduced the health insurance program with the aim of providing access to health services for everyone and it was taken forward with priority. However, due to financial problems, the program was delayed and is now in dire straits.

The Insurance Board had earlier reduced the treatment cost limit for outpatient services (OPD) for patients from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 25,000 in January. Since then, the number of people renewing insurance has decreased to only around 50 percent. However, officials are not very worried about the declining renewal rate. Because it reduces financial responsibility.

Officials had hoped that the problems related to the health insurance program would be resolved after the new government is formed. However, within a short time of the formation of the government, many hospitals and medical colleges started suspending health insurance facilities.