The following statement was issued by the Public Relations Directorate at the National Social Security Fund on Monday: "As part of the corrective path for the services provided by the National Social Security Fund, Director General Dr. Mohammad Karki has pledged to allocate additional financial revenues to fund increases in health benefits, particularly in the branch of sickness and maternity insurance. In light of the official minimum wage being raised to 18 million LBP, Dr. Karki issued a memorandum numbered 746 on March 21, 2024, to adopt a list of 3200 fixed surgical procedures. To continue this step, the administration is currently preparing an actuarial study to reconsider and raise the tariffs to 80% of their actual prices, while also reducing the insured patient's contribution from 55% currently to around 20-25% of the hospital bill only. Additionally, the director general issued today a memorandum dated May 13, 2024, numbered 756, which stipulates the necessary controls for the proper implementation of the provisions of the aforementioned memorandum number 746.
On another note, during a working session he chaired with all concerned parties in the financial and medical affairs of social security, the director general emphasized that the payment for the fixed surgical procedures should be made monthly to the hospitals. In this context, and continuing the same approach of giving absolute priority to kidney dialysis patients to ensure 100% health coverage for them, Dr. Karki instructed on May 13, 2024, the relevant financial departments to transfer an amount of 95 billion LBP to hospitals as dues for the treatment of kidney dialysis patients, bringing the total amount paid since the beginning of the year to 390 billion LBP. Dr. Karki also requested the heads of regional and local offices to work as quickly as possible to complete the health insurance transactions for the insured. The director general renewed his warning to hospitals about the necessity of adhering to the fund's tariffs and not charging any financial differences from the insured under the threat of terminating contracts with the social security fund, while affirming his support for hospitals to provide them with the financial resources owed to them as quickly as possible."
