Kathmandu. Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Poudel has said that at least 40 billion rupees need to be allocated in the budget for the next fiscal year to continue the health insurance program.
Minister Poudel said this during a discussion with the provincial governments on Monday regarding the budget for the next fiscal year. He said that although only seven and a half billion rupees were allocated in the budget last fiscal year, it was not enough. According to him, at that time, the arrears that hospitals were supposed to receive from the Insurance Board were only 16 billion rupees.
He asked how the insurance would work if the budget is not allocated to pay the arrears. He said that the average monthly expenditure in the current fiscal year is estimated to be 2 billion rupees, which is 24 billion rupees over 12 months. Stating that the remaining 13 billion rupees of last year’s arrears will reach 37 billion, Minister Poudel clarified that a total of 40 billion rupees will be required, including the operating expenses of the Insurance Board.
He said, “In the last fiscal year, the outgoing Finance Minister allocated 7.5 billion rupees for the insurance program for the last fiscal year 2080/81. At the time he made this statement, the arrears owed to the hospital by the Insurance Board were 16 billion. Now, if the budget is not allocated to pay the arrears, how will this insurance run? It is necessary to allocate 40 billion rupees in the budget this year to pay the costs of the last fiscal year’s budget and the current fiscal year. The calculation is that one month’s expenses will be 2 billion. On that basis, 24 billion will come for 12 months. The arrears of the last fiscal year are 13 billion. Including that, it becomes 37 billion. The Insurance Board should also be running. Therefore, it is necessary to allocate a budget of 40 billion. That is why I have said it clearly. 40 billion budget allocation “Only then will the current system of insurance work.”
He said that the insurance board should be run with government investment and citizen contributions. He mentioned that the model of giving contributions to the citizens’ fund and receiving treatment services from the insurance board would not be appropriate.
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