The Ministry of Health and Food Hygiene has approved the Target Group Free Treatment Portal (Operation and Management) Procedure, 2083 to make free hospital treatment more transparent, systematic and accessible. Under the procedure, hospitals operating under prevailing law must allocate at least 10% of their total approved beds for free treatment of eligible targeted groups. Patients admitted under the scheme cannot be charged for beds, medical consultation, assessment, tests, treatment, required medicines or other related services. Hospitals may also provide free outpatient services to at least 10% of patients according to need.
Eligible beneficiaries include economically poor, helpless and destitute Nepali citizens. They can establish eligibility through a government-issued poor household identity card, a recommendation from the relevant local government, or—for destitute persons—a recommendation or verification from Nepal Police or local administration. In urgent cases where documents cannot immediately be produced, a patient may use the prescribed self-declaration form, but supporting verification must generally be completed before discharge.
All hospitals are required to register with the government’s Free Health Portal and update information on total beds, free beds and admitted beneficiaries daily in real time. Each hospital must establish a free-treatment management committee, designate a focal person and operate a help desk. Hospitals must also display the availability of free beds and services at their main entrance or registration area, along with the portal’s QR code and web address. If the online system fails, records may be maintained manually or offline for up to 24 hours and must be uploaded once the system is restored.
The procedure provides for monitoring by federal, provincial and local authorities. Hospitals that deny eligible patients designated free treatment, submit false information or fail to keep portal records updated may face regulatory action, including possible consequences for their operating licence or renewal. Patients or families may also file complaints directly or through the portal if free treatment is denied or service quality is inadequate. The procedure further requires confidentiality of beneficiaries’ identity, health condition and personal information, except for authorized government monitoring and health-related purposes.
