Poor citizens’ access to free healthcare has become more challenging. What happens next?

The government’s programme ‘Bipanna Nagarik Ausadhi Upachar Karaykram’ (Poor Citizens Medical Treatment Programme ), which gives free healthcare to poor patients struggling with eight complex diseases, has been merged into the health insurance programme. Following this, questions have been raised about its effectiveness.

When this programme was under the Nursing and Social Security Division , the patients would get free healthcare at certain hospitals and the government would pay the amount to the hospital to the latter after it submitted the patient’s report(s).