Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has directed the Ministry of Health and Population to prepare an action plan based on the recommendations submitted by the Task Force on Health Insurance Reform. During a briefing held at the Prime Minister's official residence in Baluwatar on Sunday, the Task Force presented its findings and proposals. The prime minister emphasized that healthcare should not be denied to anyone due to financial constraints and stressed the need to work toward creating a disease-free society.

Acknowledging the task force's recommendations as practical and essential, the prime minister instructed the ministry to submit a detailed reform action plan within a week.

Health Minister Pradip Paudel, along with the task force coordinator Dr Shambhu Acharya and members Dr Bhagawan Koirala, Dr Raghuram Kafle, and member secretary Dr Saroj Sharma, briefed the prime minister on the urgent need for policy, legal, and structural changes in the health insurance programme.

The task force highlighted the importance of integrating basic health services with other social security programmes and proposed making participation in the health insurance programme mandatory for all citizens. Additionally, the recommendations included providing free healthcare services to individuals living below the absolute poverty line.

The health insurance programme currently faces significant challenges, with around Rs 11 billion in payments still pending. While 27% of the population is enrolled in the programme, only 48% of them are actively receiving services. The task force submitted its report to the ministry on December 29, 2024, urging swift action to address these issues and ensure universal healthcare access.- RSS