KP Minister for Health, Qasim Ali Shah chaired a review meeting of the Sehat Card Plus programme here on Monday.
Besides, the Chief Executive Sehat Card Plus Dr. Riaz Tanoli, DG Health Dr. Shaukat Ali, Director Sehat Card Dr. Ijaz and Fiaz Noor representative State Life Insurance Corporation, others officials also attended the meeting.
After the briefing, Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah informed that from 1st Ramadan to March 16th, the treatment of over 8,000 individuals across various hospitals nationwide has commenced under the Sehat Card Plus Programme, with expenditures exceeding Rs. 172 million. Soon State Life Insurance staff will be available 24/7 at health card counters at hospitals.
He revealed that since the reforms in July 2023, expenditures in both public and private hospitals under the Sehat card, have been proportionate.
“The highest expenditures on the Sehat Card have been for heart diseases, amounting to Rs. 18 billion, followed by Rs. 4 billion on C-sections, and over Rs. 3 billion on chemotherapy. Entries show that Peshawar’s MTI tops the list,” he added.
He further mentioned that options are being considered to bring further improvements to the project to ensure free and standardised healthcare access to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the Sehat Card.
During the briefing, Health Minister was informed that under Sustainable Development Goal Number 3 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Policy 2018, the province initiated the Sehat Card project, making the government responsible for the health care of citizens and providing affordable and free health facilities. Currently, over one crore families in the province are eligible for Sehat Card Plus.
The Health Card operates under a policy board, with the Health Minister serving as its chairman. The Health Minister Wai informed that Rs. 2858 is given per family to State Life, under which free secondary care treatment is provided up to two lakh, while in tertiary care, this limit is four lakh.
This costs Rs. 29.40 billion annually, ranging from 2.5 to 3 billion monthly, covering various diseases from 1800 to 2000.
The minister was informed that according to third-party evaluation, 97% of patients are satisfied with the Sehat Card program. So far, over 30 million people have received treatment under this program, with expenditures exceeding Rs. 76 billion.
Due to the Sehat Card, people have started registering their families by making married cards. People are now paying more attention to making married identity cards for free treatment under the Sehat Card.
Minister Health was also told that there are 753 empaneled hospitals across Pakistan, of which 118 are on the Sehat Card panel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including 311 government and 442 private hospitals.
There are four program partners of the Sehat Card, including the Health Department, State Life Insurance Corporation, NADRA and service providers.
The Health Minister was also reminded that with the allocation of one billion reserve fund, free kidney and liver transplantation can be performed.
He was told that last fiscal year, KP MTIs earned Rs. 8.7 billion through Sehat Card. Beside this MTIs also take Rs. 46.8 billion annually as a grant in aid.
