Kathmandu. Under the Social Security Programme, the Government of Nepal has been providing special subsidized and free treatment facilities to the financially poor, helpless and people suffering from serious diseases through the Indigent Citizens Drug Treatment Fund.
The government mainly provides financial assistance to poor citizens for severe diseases. The government has set a limit on the amount of free treatment based on the nature of the disease. The limit of the amount of facility determined by the government is as follows:
- Post-transplant medicine Rs. Medical assistance up to Rs 1 lakh.
- for the treatment of severe head injury Rs. Up to 1 lakh.
- for treatment and rehabilitation of spinal paralysis or injury. Up to 1 lakh.
- for Parkinson’s Medicine and Treatment Rs. Up to 1 lakh.
- for Alzheimer’s (severe dementia) medicines and treatment. Up to 1 lakh.
- Sickle Cell Anaemia (a skin disease seen in the Tharu community of West Terai) and for regular medicines, Rs. Up to 1 lakh.
The maximum TAG_OPEN_li_40 amount for cancer treatment, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and medicines is Rs. Free service up to Rs 1 lakh.
For the treatment of heart disease, surgery, angioplasty, valve replacement, etc., a maximum of TAG_OPEN_li_39 Rs. Up to 1 lakh. Children below 15 years of age and senior citizens above 75 years of age have a special arrangement for free treatment of heart diseases.
{{TAG_OPEN_li_38} Lifetime complete free dialysis service for kidney patients.
Maximum Rs. TAG_OPEN_li_37} for Kidney Transplant Assistance up to 4 lakhs.
How TAG_OPEN_strong_28 and where to get such a facility?
In order to get the treatment facility, the patient or his/her relatives have to complete a three-step process. The first step is to prepare the recommendation documents. For this, a recommendation letter from the local level and a recommendation letter from the concerned ward office or municipality certifying that the patient is financially poor is required.
Documents required for such a recommendation{
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The doctor’s medical report and recommendation letter given by the specialist doctor of the listed hospital that he needs treatment under the indigent facility.
Copy of the patient’s citizenship certificate, birth certificate in case of minor and citizenship of guardian.
2 copies of a recent passport size photograph of the patient.
After completing the first phase, an application should be submitted to the Poor Citizen Treatment Recommendation Committee for the second phase. The application and documents should be submitted to the Poor Citizen Treatment Recommendation Committee at the local level, ward and municipality or the concerned District Health Office and District Administration Office. On the basis of the application received, the recommendation committee examines the documents and issues a recommendation letter in the name of the listed hospital to provide treatment facilities.
After receiving the recommendation, the patients will get treatment services from the concerned hospital only in the third phase. You have to go to the listed hospitals that have an agreement with the Health Insurance Board of the Government of Nepal such as Bir Hospital, Teaching Hospital, Gangalal Heart Center, Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital, Provincial Hospitals, etc. A recommendation letter should be submitted to the indigent citizen treatment room of the hospital. After doing this, the patient will be able to get free treatment, medicine or dialysis service up to a specified limit of Rs. 1 lakhs or as per the rules. Patients do not have to pay cash fees to the hospital. The hospital claims reimbursement directly to the insurance board.
