Health insurance program in major economic crisis: Private hospitals suspend services

The government-run health insurance program is in dire financial straits. As a direct effect of this, all health insurance services provided by private hospitals except emergency services will be suspended from May 16. According to the information released by the Health Insurance Board on Thursday, this difficult decision had to be taken due to the increasing financial burden. The decision taken by the Board on June 11th meeting will affect the routine health services of the insured citizens who are being treated under the health insurance program in hundreds of private hospitals and medical colleges across the country, which include services such as OPD, laboratory tests, surgery and procurement of medicines. However, the board clarified that the emergency treatment service will continue to operate as before.

This program, which was started with the slogan of 'Access to health care for all citizens', is now being criticized for collapsing due to extreme financial disorganization, delays in payments and administrative weaknesses. According to the Insurance Board, about Rs 16 billion is currently due to be paid to service providers. Experts in the health sector have commented that financial management, service quality and sustainability have not been paid attention to while making this program a tool for political propaganda, thus putting the very existence of the program in jeopardy.

Private hospitals have been complaining for a long time that they have not received payment for health insurance from the government, the claim amount has been withheld and complicated procedures have been followed. Earlier, some hospitals had also warned not to accept insurance patients. Now, after the board itself decided to suspend the service, it has become clear that the health insurance program has practically entered the phase of contraction.