The Ministry of Health and Food Safety has issued the Social Service Unit Programme Operational Guidelines for FY 2083/84 to standardize assistance for vulnerable patients in federal, provincial and local hospitals. According to the document, Social Service Units are now operating in 94 hospitals covering all 77 districts. The programme is intended to improve equitable access to healthcare, ensure that no one is deprived of basic or emergency services, and coordinate existing social-protection programmes such as health insurance, geriatric care, maternal and newborn services and assistance for poor patients.

The units are required to provide free or subsidized treatment based on patients’ economic condition and eligibility. Target groups include poor and helpless people, persons with disabilities, vulnerable senior citizens, Female Community Health Volunteers, people affected by natural disasters, eligible members of martyrs’ families and other groups identified under the government’s Social Service Unit regulations. Hospitals must establish a Social Health Security Management Committee, maintain dedicated Social Service Unit staff according to hospital size and workload, and coordinate with other hospital programmes to prevent duplication of benefits.

Programme funds may be used for approved staff remuneration, essential office materials, programme reviews and assistance such as medicines, food, clothing, transport and other necessary support for eligible patients. Hospitals must record beneficiaries and services daily through the designated online system, maintain confidentiality of personal information and ensure regular financial reporting and auditing. Spending outside approved programme purposes, including unauthorized staffing or unrelated activities, is prohibited.

The guidelines also establish coordination with One-Stop Crisis Management Centres (OCMCs) for survivors of gender-based violence. Hospitals with OCMCs must refer and coordinate such cases through those centres, while hospitals without an OCMC must provide necessary treatment through the Social Service Unit and arrange referral, including transportation support when required. The overall aim is to make hospital-based social protection services more accessible, transparent, coordinated and effective for vulnerable patients.