Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle clarified that the government did not cut budget for the health insurance program, but has actually added more funds.
Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle has made it clear that government did not reduce the budget for health insurance. Instead, he said that an extra Rs 11 Arba was managed last year, and another Rs 5 Arba has been added in the current fiscal year.
Clarification on Health Insurance Budget
Minister Wagle shared this information while answering questions from citizens at a discussion program called “Nagarik, Neeti, ra Netritwa” (Citizen, Policy, and Leadership). The event was organized by Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) at its party office in Vanasthali.
He explained that the previous government had only allocated Rs 10 Arba for health insurance last year. Because that amount was not enough, after he became the Finance Minister, he made arrangement for an additional Rs 11 Arba.
For the current fiscal year, Wagle clarified that health insurance budget has been increased by Rs 5 Arba, making the total budget Rs 15 Arba.
Increasing Government Liability and Service Delivery
“Last year, the previous government allocated Rs 10 Arba for health insurance. But that was not enough, so after I became minister, I added Rs 11 Arba,” he said. “In this year budget, I have added Rs 5 Arba and allocated Rs 15 Arba for health insurance.”
Wagle also mentioned that even though government’s liability is continuously rising, there is still a big question on if citizens are getting proper services accordingly.
He added that the health insurance program is running continuously in government hospitals. He also informed that they are currently studying ways to make this program more effective.
AI Disclaimer: This article was originally published on https://bajarkochirfar.com. It has been translated with the help of AI. For the best understanding and accurate facts, we recommend reading the original Nepali version.
