Summary:

• Nepal Policy Institute (NPI) Chair Dr. Khagendra Raj Dhakal recommended adopting key elements of Thailand's "30 Baht Scheme" to help Nepal advance Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
• The recommendation was made during a meeting with Nepal’s Minister for Health and Population, Pradip Paudel, in Bangkok on June 26, 2025.
• Thailand's 30 Baht Scheme, started in 2001, initially charged a nominal fee for healthcare but later became fully tax-funded and now covers nearly 75% of Thailand’s population through the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS). Together with other schemes, coverage exceeds 99%.
• The Thai model offers affordable services including outpatient, inpatient care, maternal health, diagnostics, and chronic disease management, mostly through public facilities.
• Dr. Dhakal suggested Nepal unify its UHC framework, digitize National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) enrollment, link health promotion funding to sin taxes (taxes on tobacco, alcohol), and pilot reforms in provinces with good digital infrastructure.
• Minister Paudel welcomed these ideas and expressed interest in working with NPI on health financing, digital integration, and policy innovation.
• The government is committed to expanding health coverage and reforming NHIP to better serve informal sector workers and low-income groups.
• The meeting also included other officials from Nepal’s delegation in Bangkok.

In short, Nepal is considering adapting Thailand’s successful low-cost, tax-funded health coverage model to improve its own national health insurance and universal health coverage system.

Archive: https://archive.md/Ue20M