Kathmandu, May 27 -- After lowering the ceiling for outpatient services to Rs25,000 for patients and their family members from Rs100,000 in January, the Health Insurance Board has now halted outpatient care at private hospitals under the government health insurance scheme, citing a growing financial burden.

Prior to this, major hospitals in the country, including Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular & Transplant Centre, and several medical colleges, halted services under the government health insurance scheme, as they were not reimbursed for the services they had provided to patients.

Even state-run hospitals-Bir Hospital and others, which have been operating with grants from the government and others...