Nepali Congress General Secretary and Kathmandu-5 House of Representatives candidate Pradeep Paudel has expressed concern that reform initiatives launched under his leadership have stalled following his exit from government.
“Health insurance was never shut down when we were in office,” Paudel said. “This government should also ensure that it is not allowed to stop.”
Speaking at a program held in Kathmandu-5, Paudel said that during his tenure as Minister for Health and Population, he initiated policy-level and practical reforms to improve the health insurance system and had reached the stage of preparing legal amendments. He said the reform process was halted after he left the government.
He warned that suspending health insurance would create a serious situation in which citizens would be unable to access medical treatment. “If health insurance is shut down, the country will face a frightening situation where people will not be able to receive treatment,” he said.
Paudel said a reform report with a clear vision for strengthening the health insurance system had already been prepared and placed on the legislative agenda for amendment through the National Assembly.
He said that based on reforms implemented during his leadership, conditions were created for beneficiaries, including low-income groups, to receive health insurance coverage ranging from Rs300,000 to Rs750,000. He emphasized that reforming the health insurance system is the only viable option.
“If the process is implemented based on the report we prepared, the insurance system can generate up to Rs100 billion in revenue within a year,” Paudel said. “In that case, providing Rs500,000 in coverage to those who need it would not be difficult. We have already determined how the system should work and who should receive the benefits.”
