KP govt increases budget for Sehat Card Plus program

PESHWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has increased the budget of the Sehat Card Plus program to ensure that the free health facility project can continue in a better manner.

According to officials, the government used to provide Rs3 billion per month to the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan, which runs the scheme. In December, this amount was increased to Rs4 billion per month to clear the arrears of the hospitals included in the panel.

According to official sources, the annual budget of the program has been increased from Rs36 billion to Rs48 billion, however, for the current financial year, the government has allocated Rs41 billion, of which Rs3 billion was released every month in the first five months from July to November.

The annual expenditure of the program is estimated at Rs34 to 35 billion, while the remaining amount is used to clear old arrears.

Several hospitals have complained that there is a delay in payment by the insurance company, which is affecting treatment facilities.

Currently, 700 hospitals are involved in the program, of which 169 are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Since its launch in February 2016, about 4.98 million patients have received free diagnosis and treatment facilities worth Rs 135 billion.

The scheme covers the entire population of the province, which includes 1.7 million families and about 3.45 million individuals.

According to officials, if the funds are released in time, the hospitals will be able to continue providing free treatment and patients will be able to get treatment in their nearest hospitals instead of going to Peshawar.