Kathmandu. The Health Insurance Board has started a digital system to enroll citizens in health insurance through local and provincial governments. The board has launched the 'Collective Enrollment and Renewal' service through a digital medium called HIB-e-portal. In the first phase, this service has been formally launched by giving institutional access to Gokarneshwor Municipality in Kathmandu and Kapilvastu Municipality in Kapilvastu.
With the implementation of this new system, provincial and local governments will be able to easily enroll citizens in insurance, renew old insurance, pay contribution amounts, and manage all types of records through their own dashboards. For this, local governments can coordinate with the concerned provincial and district offices of the Health Insurance Board to move forward.
This use of digital technology is expected to make the insurance registration and renewal process hassle-free, transparent, and faster. It is believed that this will eliminate the compulsion for service recipients to wait in line or spend a long time, and service delivery from the local level will become more effective. This will make it easier for local governments to enroll citizens in health insurance from their own resources.
Gokarneshwor Municipality and Kapilvastu Municipality have been processing health insurance claims for their local residents for a long time. The Health Insurance Board has stated that the 'Collective Enrollment and Renewal' service has been launched from these two municipalities with the aim of encouraging other municipalities as well.
Under the new system, local governments can now enroll citizens in health insurance collectively by filling in their details online through their own user ID. After submitting the details online, the insurance card will also be generated through the system.
Additionally, the insurance amount can also be calculated and paid easily through this portal. Dr. Pawan Kumar Shah, spokesperson for the Health Insurance Board, said that the insured will be registered using the username and password provided by the board, and the amount will be paid by the concerned local government.
He said, 'Previously, some local governments had to collect citizen details from the ward, fill out forms, and submit them to the municipality. The process was also a bit cumbersome.'
He said that by giving access to the portal to the municipalities, arrangements have been made to fill in details, enroll, and prepare cards from their own dashboards. He also said that if any institution requests collective health insurance, a username and password will be provided. This is expected to reduce administrative hassle for employees.
