January 18: The Health Insurance Board has decided to reduce the fee charged on the out-patient-department and emergency service tickets under its health insurance scheme.

Information officer of the board, Om Kumari Kandel, said that keeping in mind the financial condition of the insured, they have decided to reduce the ticket fees charged for outpatient and emergency services at the hospitals. According to Kandel, the board has decided to maintain the ticket fee of Rs 50 for OPD service and Rs 100 for emergency service. She informed that the reduced fee will be applicable from January 22.

Earlier, the OPD service fee was set at Rs 100 and emergency service charge was Rs 400. Similarly, the insurance board has decided to give a 10 percent discount on renewal to the insured who have not taken any health facility. Information Officer Kandel said that the insured who renew their health insurance regularly without taking any benefits will be given a 10 percent discount on renewal.

There is an arrangement that families with up to five members can get benefits of up to Rs 100,000 after paying an annual contribution of Rs 3,500. So far, a total of 74,66,007 people have joined the state-sponsored insurance scheme and out of them 34,76,778 people have taken health services through the insurance program.

Altogether 48,59,515 people have renewed the insurance scheme. Likewise, the board has decided to reduce the service start time after joining the health insurance scheme. According to Information Officer Kandel, it used to take three months to start the service after joining the health insurance program, but now it has been reduced to two months. The board has also decided to reimburse the health institutions that provide health services under the government’s insurance scheme in every two months.