Sehat Insaf Card Services received a boost as Ihtisham Ali, Advisor to the Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Health, announced that the provincial government has disbursed Rs 4.5 billion to the State Life Insurance Corporation.
This funding underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring uninterrupted healthcare access through the Sehat Insaf Card, a flagship initiative designed to provide free medical treatment to citizens. Ihtisham Ali dismissed recent media reports suggesting that the Sehat Insaf Card services had been suspended at certain hospitals due to outstanding dues.
He emphasized that all hospitals on the Sehat Insaf Card panel remain operational and continue to offer their services without interruption. “Reports about the suspension of the Sehat Card services are baseless,” he asserted, assuring the public that these vital healthcare services would not be discontinued as long as he holds office.
While acknowledging that there are outstanding dues under the program, Ali reassured the public that payments are being made consistently. He reiterated the importance of the Sehat Insaf Card, highlighting it as a gift from the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to the citizens of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The advisor confirmed that the payment of outstanding dues is progressing in phases to guarantee the seamless operation of the program.
Background of the Sehat Insaf Card Initiative
Earlier this month, the State Life Insurance Company had briefly announced the cessation of free treatments under the Sehat Insaf Card services. However, this decision was reversed shortly after the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government pledged Rs 6 billion to clear some dues.
Despite having paid Rs 13 billion since March 2024, the government still faces an Rs 18 billion deficit. The insurance company had threatened to halt services after the provincial government failed to deliver on a promised Rs 5 billion payment.
The provincial government plans to hold a detailed meeting involving the Chief Minister’s Advisor on Finance, Muzamal Aslam, and the Health Minister to address these issues. The government has committed to paying Rs 3 billion monthly, although these payments have often been inconsistent.
In March of this year, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government announced the full restoration of the Sehat Insaf Card services, following significant reductions due to funding shortages. The Health Minister at the time, Syed Qasim Ali Shah, had assured citizens that the initiative, which began in 2015 covering four districts, had expanded province-wide by 2020, with an annual expenditure of Rs 18 billion.
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Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah, along with key officials from the Sehat Sahulat Program, praised the initiative’s success, stating that 1,800 different medical treatments are now available free of charge in 118 public and private hospitals, catering to a variety of specialties across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
