With the insurance program on the verge of being shut down due to budget shortages, Prime Minister Sushila Karki has said that it should be continued even if it means borrowing.
What you should know
The health insurance program is in danger of being shut down if a budget of Rs 14 billion is not provided immediately.
Health Minister Dr. Sudha Sharma had requested Prime Minister Sushila Karki and Finance Secretary Ghanshyam Upadhyay to grant permission for the scheme in a discussion on Wednesday, saying that the insurance scheme would be closed if the amount was not managed.
However, the Finance Ministry has given a clear message that it cannot disburse that amount. ‘We have already given 10 billion this year, no additional budget can be given,’ Finance Secretary Ghanshyam Upadhyay replied, ‘We need to find ways to improve the operation of the insurance scheme, the insurance scheme has not become like insurance.’
Currently, the Health Insurance Board has to pay about 14 billion rupees to 510 hospitals for treatment under the insurance scheme.
The board’s annual budget has reached about 26.59 billion rupees. Last fiscal year, the board had a liability of 23 billion rupees for health insurance. However, only 4.5 billion rupees were collected from insurance premiums.
The government had been providing grants of 7 to 10 billion rupees annually until 2080/081. The board has already spent an additional Rs 1 billion after the Rs 10 billion allocated for the current fiscal year was exhausted.
After the insurance program was about to be closed due to budget shortage, Prime Minister Sushila Karki said that it should be continued even if it takes a loan.
In a discussion with the Health Insurance Board, she mentioned that since it is the government's responsibility to provide health care to the poor, it should be continued even if it takes a loan.
She said that a solution should be found by discussing this with the Finance Minister. 'If there is a famine, we should also sell children's earrings (jewelry) and utensils to avert famine,' Karki said. 'Health insurance has also become similar. I have also heard of irregularities in it. Health insurance should not be a business for some and a luxury for others. Arrangements should also be made for the poor to get free facilities.'
