Itahari, May 9: Though accessible health services for the impoverished do exist, a community health insurance campaign, the first of its kind in South Asia, has been launched from Sundarpur VDC of Morang district by the B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS).
BPKIHS has taken up this challenging task to translate into reality B. P. Koirala’s notion of providing affordable medical treatment to Nepalese living in each and every hut in line with the ideology of democratic socialism.
BPKIHS held interactions and discussions with the people of Sundarpur VDC over eight months to ensure success for its endeavour in line with its rural oriented health policy.
BPKIHS vice-chancellor (VC) Shekhar Koirala says that the community health insurance scheme started from Sundarpur in Morang, one of the districts chosen for health education, is probably an innovation in the health sciences.
The programme was launched with sensitivity towards the health of the people after a well-equipped hospital as visualised by Girija Prasad Koirala when B. P. Koirala was undergoing treatment for cancer in New Delhi, India was built in Dharan, he said.
Under the programme, insurance premiums of Rs 90 for children below 14 and Rs 180 for those above that age have been specified for the rural areas while premiums for the urban area are Rs 300 for children up to 14 and Rs 600 for people above 14.
As this social health insurance scheme could become an example for many developing countries, we are committed to making it a big success, VC Koirala added.
Talking to RSS, Sundar VDC vice-chairman Raj Kumar Tamang said that the service oriented policy of BPKIHS has made the villagers confident of good health and long life. The VDC has been enthusiastically associated with the social health insurance scheme.
Pointing out that he had been afflicted by various diseases, vice-chairman Tamang said he was making preparations to avail himself of the health services made accessible by BPKIHS.
According to Bheem Prasad Paudel, a resident of ward No. 6 in the VDC, his entire family has been insured as BPKIHS provides medical check-ups, drugs worth up to Rs 2,500 and surgery for up to Rs 10,000 free of cost.
Moti Lal Sarki, Indra Bahadur Bishwakarma, Uttam Lal Musahar and Jivan Sundal, all below the poverty line, have also had an opportunity to be insured and they say they need no longer worry about the cost of treatment when they fall ill.
Likewise, Chhayamaya Limbu of Sundarpur VDC ward No. 9 Jagrit Tole says there is no hassle in getting treatment at the hospital and treatment is free of cost once the insurance card is shown. All members of her family have been insured, she says adding, “the social health insurance scheme provides much relief to women.”
Dr. Nilambar Jha, Umesh Lal Karna and Narayan Chapagai, who were active in interactions and discussions with the rural people on the health insurance scheme, says that awareness of the scheme among the rural poor has not been raised sufficiently.
As rural people have often been deceived, they were suspicious of the objectives of BPKIHS and it was difficult to reassure them, according to those taking part in the interactions and discussions.
BPKIHS has made all necessary arrangements to reassure rural people that the health insurance scheme which started from the Nepali New Year’s day is reliable and provides for accessible health services, according to director of the hospital Dr. Narayan Kumar.