Minister Paudel Proposes Mobile Recharge Levy to Strengthen Health Insurance Fund

Kathmandu – Health and Population Minister Pradip Paudel has suggested collecting a contribution from mobile recharge payments to make Nepal’s health insurance fund more stable and sustainable.

During an inspection visit to Bhagiratha Buddhashanti Hospital in Jhapa on Sunday (2nd March), Minister Paudel stated that the insurance fund could be strengthened by leveraging commonly used services. He proposed a system where 50 paisa from every Rs 100 mobile recharge would be allocated to the health insurance fund.

Highlighting on the financial constraints in the health insurance sector, Minister Paudel revealed that the current budget allocation for health insurance is only Rs 7.5 billion, while the unpaid liabilities from the previous fiscal year stand at Rs 11 billion. Given this financial shortfall, he warned that at least Rs 40 billion would be required in the next budget to sustain the insurance program.

To improve efficiency, Minister Paudel also emphasized the need for a one-door system to manage health insurance. He noted that all three levels of government—federal, provincial, and local—currently spend around Rs 31 billion annually on health services.