150 Doctors Decline Appointments at Health Insurance Board Citing Impractical Workload

Kathmandu – A significant majority of doctors selected for contract service at the Health Insurance Board (HIB) have declined to accept their appointments, citing impractical workload expectations and a lack of proper labor evaluation.

Out of 180 doctors who were recently selected to serve as medical officers under a contract arrangement, 150 have refused to sign their appointment letters, staging a collective protest against the board’s job description. Only 30 doctors have agreed to work under the current terms.

According to one of the protesting doctors, the main point of contention is the unrealistic work requirement outlined in the contract. “Each doctor is expected to assess 400 insurance claims per day, which translates to evaluating claims worth approximately Rs. 25–30 lakhs daily,” the doctor said. “With a 7-hour workday, that gives us 420 minutes, making it almost one claim per minute, which is simply not feasible.”

Doctors argue that failure to meet the target could result in the burden of handling additional claims, making the provision both impractical and exploitative. They further claim that such a performance metric undermines the quality of medical assessments and fails to recognize the diligence needed for accurate claim evaluation.

In response, a formal letter has been sent to the Ministry of Health and Population, asking for revisions to the job description and other related provisions. The doctors have termed the current requirements as impractical, lacking legal grounding, and devoid of any reasonable assessment of labor involved.