Free health insurance for the poor

Kathmandu - The Rampur municipality has introduced free health insurance programme for the poor family members in the municipality. The municipality has been identifying the citizens who are unable to subscribe to the insurance facility and providing them with the coverage. The municipality is providing insurance coverage to the citizens in order to ensure their access to health services under the GP Koirala Health Programme.

The municipality has allocated funds in the current fiscal year budget and developed procedures for the same. The insurance coverage applies for a year. In the first phase, 108 families have been included under the free health insurance programme, said Mayor Raman Bahadur Thapa. As a result, 540 citizens have been directly benefited.

The municipality plans to include around 400 Dalit and poor families of the municipality in the insurance programme. This is expected to cost around 10.8 million rupees. A family with up to five members has to pay a premium of 3,500 rupees to avail up to 100,000 rupees worth of health services for a year.