Health insurance covers 49 per cent population in Gandaki

GANDAKI, APRIL 8: Health insurance coverage has reached 49 per cent of the population in Gandaki Province.
The total population of the Province is 2,466,427, and 1,207,172 people have health insurance. This information was shared at a programme organized by the Health Insurance Board Gandaki Province Office in Pokhara on Monday on the occasion of the 9th Health Insurance Day.

On the occasion, the Coordinator of Health Insurance Board Gandaki Province, Jiblal Kharel, said that the number of insured people in the province was increasing, and efforts were being made to include more and more general public in the insurance scheme. Stating that the health insurance programme is progressing effectively globally, he said it has been improved in Nepal and is in tune with the times.

He further pointed out that there is a tendency to spread negative publicity towards health insurance in Nepal and emphasized the need to involve all citizens in health insurance by disseminating positive information.

Health Administrator at the Ministry of Health of Gandaki Province and member-secretary of the Gandaki Province Health Insurance Coordination Committee, Dr. Ramesh KC, stated that the health insurance programme, which has a history of 142 years in the world, has been in operation in Nepal for the last nine years.

He stressed the need to implement this programme, still in its nascent stage in Nepal, effectively. Stating that there was a need for triangular coordination of beneficiaries, service provider hospitals, and the Health Insurance Board, he underscored the need for enhancing quality alongside the effectiveness of this insurance programme.

Rabindra Thakur of Manipal Teaching Hospital, Bidya Bastola of Western Regional Hospital, Shiva Pokharel of Drishti Eye Hospital, Om Thapa of Matri Shishu Hospital, and Registration Officers Goma Devi Adhikari, Pramila Poudel, Tej Bahadur Darlami, and Gautam Singh Dhami, among others, expressed their views on the current status and challenges of health insurance.