Kathmandu, January 21
Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, has fully resumed its health insurance program from Monday. The service, which had been partially suspended since August 29, has been reinstated after five months.
According to Dr Ghanshyam Gurung, Acting Director of the hospital, the partial suspension was due to disagreements over the new insurance package introduced by the Health Insurance Board and delays in receiving reimbursements from the board.
For the past five months, services such as admissions and surgeries under the health insurance program were completely halted. During this period, the hospital only provided insurance benefits for OPD and emergency services. The health insurance program at TUTH was initially launched in December 2020.
The hospital administration stated that it is yet to receive approximately NPR 700 million from the Health Insurance Board, with an additional Rs 200 million in claims under process.
Dr Gurung mentioned that the program was resumed after the board committed to clearing the pending dues by the end of the last fiscal year. The suspension of the insurance services at the country’s largest government hospital affected thousands of insured patients. The hospital’s notice states that all types of insurance services will now be provided as before.
