Government prepares roadmap for Universal Health Coverage

The Ministry of Health and Population has prepared a roadmap for Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The roadmap means to provide people’s access to the full range of quality health services they need, said the ministry Secretary Dev Kumari Guragain at an event organized here today on the occasion of the ‘Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day 2022’ by the Department of Health Services (DoHS).

Stressing the need for launching health programs in depth accessibly and transparently so as to provide all people access to health services, she said the government was at work to provide free basic health services as ensured by the constitution to all.

Similarly, the Director General of the DoHS Dr Dipendra Raman Singh said the government had taken initiatives to provide quality health service to the general people. As per the National Health Policy 2076, various health programmes were launched annually in order to ensure people’s fundamental rights to free quality health services, he added.

Executive Director of the Health Insurance Board, Dr Damodar Basaula, said a health insurance programme would be launched effectively to ensure quality health services to all. At present, over 6.1 million people have been covered by health insurance, according to him.

Director of the Curative Service Division under the DoHS, Dr Anup Banstola, informed that basic health service centres, basic hospitals, and well-equipped hospitals along with specialist services in all seven provinces have been set up. Similarly, insurance programmes and health services for poor people suffering from chronic non-communicable diseases have been expanded, according to him.

UHC Day is being observed across the globe with the slogan ‘Build the World We Want: A Healthy Future for All’.