Number of patients receiving treatment under health insurance in Bheri Hospital up

By Siraj Khan, Nepalgunj, July 26: The number of people receiving treatment under the health insurance programme in government hospitals has increased rapidly since the government withdrew the health insurance programme from private hospitals.

The health insurance programme was put to an end in private hospitals and medical colleges, starting from this fiscal year on July 17.

According to the Bheri Hospital, Nepalgunj, the number of people participating in the health insurance programme in the hospital has tripled after Nepalgunj Medical College (NGMC) ceased to be part of it.

Krishna Prasad Shrestha, member of Hospital Development Committee, said that number of people receiving treatment from health insurance schemes has tripled after many private hospitals ceased to be part of the insurance. 

Before July, around 90 people received treatment under the health insurance programme in a week and after July, the number increased to 300-400 a week.

However, the hospital is facing difficulty to manage the increasing number of people receiving treatment under the program.

The hospital pointed out that this problem arose as the government decided to include only government hospitals in the health insurance programme without informing beforehand.

Patients complained that they have to stand in a long queue in the scorching heat to receive the treatment because of a lack of skilled manpower.

Hundreds of patients visit the hospital for treatment, which is one of the well-equipped hospitals in western Nepal.