Government of Nepal has introduced Free Health Care Policy
(FHCP) through different tiers of health delivery system in 2007.
With the objective of understanding the perspectives of community
stakeholders, health service providers, and the services users towards
free care policy, a qualitative-quantitative study was conducted in
selected communities of Myagdi district from December 2010 to
January 2011. Although the majority of user group thought that
free care service is good but only two-third of them had received
free care. Shortage of free essential drugs at health facility centers,
absence of health workers and lack of clear information about
free services or counseling on free services available at health
facility centers are the most repeated issues raised by the service
users. Similarly, the service providers had similar experiences and
perceptions on FHCP. The majority of the community stakeholders
also had positive perception on this implemented policy. They have
observed that many facilities had shortage of drugs and people are
not having free health care. Many health facilities lacked interaction
on FHCP, and service users did not have equitable access to the
services provided. Overall, though the free care was perceived to
be good policy, its satisfactory implementation remains one of the
challenges. Many of the areas relating to service delivery need to
be strengthened. A reliable supply system of drugs and its regular
monitoring mechanism can ensure the effective implementation of
free health care services.