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“Nepal needs national health insurance”
KATHMANDU, JUL 10 -
Health sector in Nepal has come under increasing scrutiny after a string of uncontrolled epidemic in monsoon last year and, recent scandal involving Dr. Bhakta Man Shrestha. Under these circumstances, Dr. Malakh Lal Shrestha, a Nepali doctor practising in Germany, thinks the country needs a major overhaul in the medical field.
Shrestha, 44, left for Germany in 1996 and has since practised at Hannover Medical School. He has got a lot to say about the lessons that can be learnt from the Deutsch medical system. “National health insurance should be introduced,” says Shrestha who thinks an insurance model can ensure proportional medical services to the whole population. “Although we lack funds like the western countries, we can start with an insurance model for government employees and business workers.” With no doubt, he believes that it will take years for a fully functioning national health insurance; even referring to the quite recent, contentious approval of Public health insurance in the States.
However, Shrestha is against the inherent policy of maintaining separate clinics and hospitals for employees of different state bodies, like Army, Police and Civil Service. “Why should they be entitled to a premium service while the rest of the population relies on few public hospitals?” argues Shrestha. “Such practice indicates that the public funds has not been proportionally utilised.” Shrestha also opines that new teaching hospitals that are increasing in number should only be licensed to operate in places that are remote and has got no health projects previously. Such policy can introduce medical services to rural people and keep disease outbreaks on check.
Having numerous work experiences in different hospitals of Nepal and abroad, Shrestha has also published researches on a wide range of cardio-related subjects. Given his extensive experience in the medical field, Shrestha is of the opinion that doctors in Nepal are not updating their practice with the recent developments.
Deteriorating security situation and political instability have affected the medical field in Nepal. “It is not necessarily important that a doctor should lead the management of a hospital. Administration positions can suitably be filled by other non-health professionals,” adds Shrestha. Doctors involved in organisational management find it hard to focus on their field of expertise.
Shrestha is adamant that centralisation is the basic problem of the country’s health sector. To avert disasters like the diarrhoea-epidemic in Jajarkot last year, he talks of a need to introduce a new health plan that covers all the outlying parts of the nation. This issue of decentralisation should be clearly highlighted on the constitution.
n Ujjwal Pradhan
Posted on: 2010-07-11 11:07
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