The Social Security Fund (SSF) has announced plans to gradually take full responsibility for the healthcare needs of workers enrolled in the contribution-based social security scheme, including their families, within the next four years.

Speaking at a press conference held at the SSF office on Wednesday, Executive Director Kabiraj Adhikari stated that preparations are underway to enable the state to assume the complete health responsibility of contributors and their families through the SSF.

He said the SSF has recently expanded the scope of healthcare coverage. “The service, which was limited to contributors five years ago, has now been extended to include their spouses and children,” Adhikari said. He added that the facility has also been implemented for workers in the informal sector and will be expanded further.

Currently, the SSF bears 80 percent of treatment costs requiring hospitalization up to Rs 100,000. In cases of more serious illnesses requiring higher expenses, it covers 50 percent of hospitalization costs up to Rs 1 million. For outpatient (OPD) services, it covers 80 percent of treatment costs up to Rs 25,000 annually. These benefits are renewed each fiscal year.

Initially available only to the contributor, the healthcare facility was later extended to spouses and children. The SSF now aims to cover the entire family under this scheme within four years.

According to Adhikari, the number of enrolled employers and contributors has significantly increased in recent years, along with the collection of contributions. He also noted that efforts are ongoing to ensure regular contributions from workers employed abroad.

As of the end of the last fiscal year (mid-July 2025), 20,991 employers and 2,374,486 contributors were registered with the SSF. Of them, 882,946 joined the fund during the last fiscal year alone. The total contribution collected so far stands at Rs 83.65 billion.

SSF spokesperson Krishna Adhikari said that Rs 1.75 billion has been disbursed to regular contributors under various social security schemes. In addition, the fund has paid out a total of Rs 7.04 billion to 34,097 contributors in the form of special loans (Rs 6.90 billion), home loans (Rs 130 million), and educational loans (Rs 10 million).  – With inputs from RSS