People keen on health insurance, but problems persist

By Bishnu Pokhrel  Damak, July 11: The health insurance scheme introduced by the government is seeing an active participation from the public. However, its services are not accessible due to poor condition of local health centres. Under the scheme, an individual is designated a primary or municipal health centre as the first point of visit. However, the insured is referred to a better hospital since the local health centres lack resources.

Locals of Shivasatakshi Municipality, Kamal Rural Municipality, Gaurigunj Rural Municipality and Gauradaha Municipality are bound to visit Damak Hospital of Damak Municipality in lack of health centres in their periphery. Authorities informed that Damak Hospital tends to more than 1,000 patients daily. While the scheme coveres treatment expenses, service seekers expressed that they had to pay heavy transport fares to reach a proper health centre to avail of the services.

Meanwhile, in a bid to make the services under health insurance scheme accessible nearby, several local levels of Jhapa district have initiated to upgrade their health centres.

"Many locals have enrolled in the health insurance scheme but there is no health centre to provide them with the services. We plan to construct a five-bed hospital as soon as the new fiscal year 2022/23 begins," said Hukum Singh Rai, chairman of Kamal Rural Municipality.

Kamal Rural Municipality's health division chief Indra Aryal informed that the local level had received necessary permissions to provide services under the scheme. "Once our hospital comes into operation, our people will not have to reach Damak Hospital," said Aryal. Other local levels depending on Damak Hospital have also expressed that they have included construction and upgrading of health centres as a priority in the budget for FY 2022/23.

Gauradaha Municipality has pledged to construct a five-bed hospital within a year in its plans and programmes for the new fiscal year.

"The hospital will have three specialists to provide treatment. We have allocated necessary budget for the hospital and its manpower," said Chhatrapati Subedi, mayor of Gauradaha.

Gauradaha will be upgrading its health post into a hospital. It will provide laboratory, x-ray and other basic services.  "We will also manage free ambulance for patients who need to be referred outside the municipality," said Subedi.

Likewise, Gaurigunj Rural Municipality will also be upgrading its primary health centre in Ward No. 6. 

"Preliminary process to upgrade the health centre is completed. It will receive the permission to operate as a 15-bed Gaurigunj Hospital from July 17. Insured locals will then receive treatment from our own hospital," said Pujan Neupane Kunwar, vice chairperson of Gaurigunj.

Gaurigunj also plans to install a digital video x-ray machine and ambulance at the hospital. Health insurance of poor families has been kept as a priority in its plans and programmes.