Editorial | Universal health coverage needs more state support
Summary
Nepal's National Health Insurance Programme faces challenges such as underfunding and weak governance, leading to reduced outpatient services and broken trust with citizens. The government aims to revive the scheme with a Rs15 billion budget for 2026-27.
Key Points
- Nepal aims to achieve universal health coverage by 2030 through the National Health Insurance Programme (NHIP).
- Recent government cuts to outpatient department coverage and halted services in private hospitals have worsened patient access.
- State hospitals are overcrowded and lack medicines, forcing patients to pay high fees despite insurance premiums.
- The government has allocated Rs15 billion for NHIP in the fiscal year 2026-27 to revive the struggling health insurance scheme.
