Kathmandu. The Ministry of Health and Food and Hygiene is preparing to clearthe remaining arrears of the health insurance programme by mid-August. Speaking at a meeting of the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee of the House of Representatives, Secretary at the Ministry of Health and Information Technology, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai said this while speaking at a meeting of the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee of the House ofRepresentatives. Dr. Bikash Devkota informed about the steps taken by the Ministry for improvement and sustainability of insurance system. 

According to Devkota, around Rs 24 to 25 billion has been paid for insurance in the last fiscal year.He said that around Rs 15 billion is yet to be paid and Rs 10 to 12 billion will be cleared by mid-August. Clarifying about the role of private hospitals in the insurance program, Devkot a said that the private hospitals are currently regulating the payment of to private hospitals.

Stating that only 7 per cent of the total service seekers go to private hospitals , he said that a policy has been taken to attract the service seekers to the government sector by strengthening the services of the government hospitals. 

According to the ministry, the insurance cost has come down from Rs 2 billion per month to Rs 1 billion now.He claims that attention has been paid to the management of expenditure without compromising on the quality of service. The Ministry believes that the insurance programme will be self-sufficient in the current fiscal year due to the proper utilization of the insurance premium and the budget allocated by the government. 

In view of the fact that only 55 percent of the households are covered by the insurance scheme, the Ministry is doing homework to make the insurance compulsory from the salary of the employees of the formal sector.This will raise an additional Rs 2 to 3 billion annually and strengthen the fund, Devkota said. In addition, a plan has been put forward to prevent dual facilities by coordinating with agencies such as Social Security Fund and Citizen Investment Trust.