Kathmandu: The Government of Nepal has approved a proposal by Minister for Health and Population, Pradeep Paudel, to increase temporary staffing at the Health Insurance Board in order to address the shortage of personnel needed to evaluate insurance claims.

The decision, made during the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, will add 402 temporary positions to the Board. Minister Paudel had proposed 56 officer-level positions and 346 assistant and non-gazetted positions to enhance the board’s capacity to process claim evaluations.

Due to the current lack of manpower, the Board has only been able to assess insurance claims up to the Nepali month of Shrawan. The Board’s Executive Director, Dr. Raghuraj Kafle, expressed optimism that the additional temporary staff will help complete the evaluation of all remaining claims within the current fiscal year.

Furthermore, the Cabinet also approved temporary positions for several key hospitals: 129 at Sushil Koirala Prakhar Cancer Hospital in Khajura, 141 at Geta Hospital in Dhangadhi, and 313 at Dadeldhura Hospital.

According to Dr. Prakash Budhathoki, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, the added manpower is expected to ease operational challenges faced by these institutions. “Until the organizational and structural management is finalized, this decision will help ensure smooth operation of services at the Board and the hospitals,” he stated.