Kathmandu— The report of a recent advocacy dialogue on health insurance has been submitted to the Health Insurance Board and the Ministry of Health and Population. The dialogue program titled “Health Insurance in Nepal: Current Challenges and Opportunities” was organized by the Binyatara Foundation and the Swasthya Khabar Foundation.

The report, which incorporates conclusions and recommendations from discussions among health insurance experts, former officials, stakeholders, and policymakers, was handed over to Secretary Dr. Bikash Devkota from the Ministry of Health and Population and Chairperson Mr. Chandra Bahadur Thapa from the Health Insurance Board.

The report was submitted by Hari Tiwari, Country Director of Binyatara Foundation; D.B. Khadka, Executive Editor of Swasthya Khabar; and Romika Neupane, Program Coordinator of Swasthya Khabar Foundation.

While receiving the report, Secretary Devkota and Chairperson Thapa noted that the conclusions drawn from the discussions will serve as a guide for future initiatives. Dr. Devkota stated, “Such dialogues play a key role in strengthening health insurance. The issues highlighted in the report will be considered in the development of future policies and programs related to health insurance.”

Likewise, Chairperson Thapa mentioned that they are working to make health insurance more effective and financially sustainable. He said, “For the successful implementation of health insurance in Nepal, the studies, research, suggestions, and conclusions drawn from discussions among stakeholders, organizations, individuals, and experts are valuable in shaping practical policies. The advice and recommendations in this report will further strengthen the Health Insurance Board and enhance its effectiveness. We will carefully review this report and incorporate relevant suggestions into our implementation efforts.”

The panelists of the program included Dr. Bhagawan Koirala, Dr. Gunaraj Lohani, Dr. Sudha Sharma, and Dr. Saroj Sharma. Participants included representatives from the Health Insurance Board, the Ministry of Health, directors of various hospitals, local government health staff, and other stakeholders.

The chair of the event and co-founder as well as president of the Binyatara Foundation, Dr. Binay Shah, emphasized that only a strong Health Insurance Board can reduce existing inequalities in health and bridge the gaps in services, facilities, and accessibility. He further stated, “To make health services more effective, we must first strengthen health insurance. That’s why this time, we focused the advocacy dialogue on this topic. Various perspectives were raised, and the conclusions drawn from these discussions have been submitted to the concerned authorities. We hope they will take these recommendations seriously.”