Nepal Implements Social Service Unit Program for Free Healthcare Access

Kathmandu. Article 35 of the Constitution of Nepal has guaranteed the fundamental right of every citizen to receive basic healthcare free of charge and not to be deprived of emergency health services.

To practically implement this constitutional provision, the Ministry of Health and Food Hygiene has issued the 'Social Service Unit Program Operation Guideline' for the fiscal year 2083/084. This program, which started in 2065 BS, is currently being operated in 94 federal, provincial, and local level hospitals across all 77 districts of the country this year.

The main objective of this program is to increase equitable access to and utilization of health services by providing services available in hospitals free of charge or at subsidized rates to the targeted group of patients.

This includes the poor, helpless, abandoned, disabled individuals, impoverished elderly citizens, female health volunteers, natural disaster victims, martyr families, and detainees brought in by the police. Patients from these groups will receive free and subsidized health treatment facilities from hospitals based on their economic status assessment and identification card.

To streamline the program, a 'Social Health Security Management Committee' will be formed under the coordination of the hospital chief. Based on the hospital's bed capacity, one to a maximum of six qualified facilitators (AHW/ANM or equivalent) will be mobilized on a contract basis.

Furthermore, hospitals are mandated to provide 24-hour services and publicly display the daily details of patients receiving free or subsidized services on a digital display or whiteboard.

The guideline has expanded the scope of additional relief along with treatment for the convenience of patients from the target group. Under this, for extremely poor, helpless, infirm, and disabled patients, medication, food, referral transportation costs, and attendant costs can be managed from the grant budget based on need and justification.

This is expected to solve the problem of impoverished patients being deprived of treatment or unable to reach the hospital due to financial constraints.

Similarly, for individuals who are victims or affected by gender-based violence, all health treatments will be provided free of charge in coordination with the 'One-Stop Crisis Management Center' operated at the hospital.