PESHAWAR: A large number of people from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) are likely to be deprived of free health services after a dispute emerged between the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments over funds meant for the Sehat Card
Plus programme of the Newly Merged Districts (NMDs). Expressing displeasure at the decision, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said that he did not expect the federal government to discontinue funds meant for providing free health services to the residents of the tribal districts.
Some senior members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) accused Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Maulana Asad Mahmood and MNA from North Waziristan Mohsin Dawar of making the federal government discontinue the funds.
When contacted, Mohsin Dawar dismissed the charge, saying he was neither a member of the cabinet nor part of the federal government to suspend the funds. “I have some complaints about the previous PTI government that couldn’t convene a single meeting of the NFC in three years to give their share to the tribal districts. I have nothing to do with the suspension of the funds,” Mohsin Dawar clarified.
The PTI-led provincial government has accused the federal government of discontinuing around Rs5 billion funds allocated for the Sehat Sahulat Plus Programme for the NMDs. It termed it violation of the agreement reached between the federal and provincial governments during the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rule.
Documents available with The News revealed that former prime minister Imran Khan had on February 21, 2022 approved a summary about the transfer of funds from the National Finance Commission (NFC) award to the KP government to provide free health services to the tribal people under the Sehat Sahulat Plus Programme.
“After codal formalities, the funds were supposed to be transferred to the KP government in July this year. In the meantime the PTI government was replaced with a new one that decided to stop funds for the NMDs, except Khyber and Bajaur,” a senior government official privy to communication between the two governments told The News on condition of anonymity.
According to KP Health Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra, the federal government, without any reason, suspended the funds that were pledged to the provincial government earlier under an agreement.
It merits a mention here that the KP government was the first in Pakistan that initiated free health services to its population under the Sehat Sahulat Programme. Initially free health services were made available to a limited number of people and then in November 2020, the provincial government extended the coverage to 100 per cent of the population.
According to the government officials, the agreement between the two governments for the free health services was signed up to 2025. After the Fata merge with KP under the 25th Amendment of the Constitution, the then federal government had decided to stop some funds from the NFC award meant for merged districts as it had already started negotiations for an agreement with State Life Insurance Corporation for free coverage.
“Since the agreement was not complete at that time, therefore the then federal government had decided to provide free health services to the people of NMDs. When the KP government in November 2020 extended coverage to its 100 percent population and the federal government had not yet done so, it was decided to include NMDs in the KP Sehat Sahulat programme,” a government official explained.
He said people at that time had raised questions as to how the people of NMDs were excluded from the Sehat Sahulat coverage when 100 percent population of the province comparatively better off than the tribespeople were enjoying free services.
Under an earlier agreement, only 60 percent of NMDs were offered free services under the Sehat card programme. “Since the federal government had not signed an agreement for extending the coverage to 100 percent population of Punjab, Kashmir and NMDs, the KP government then negotiated with the federal government and asked them to shift the same amount to them so they can spend it for the tribal people,” he said.
After several meetings between government officials of the federal and provincial governments, the then prime minister Imran Khan approved a summary and authorised the transfer of funds.
“The Prime Minister of Pakistan had approved the summary for harmonising the Sehat Card packages for the residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the former tribal districts on 21-2-2022 (Annex-I) and the same was communicated to and endorsed by Chief Executive Officer, Social Health Protection Initiative (SHPI) of KP Health Department vide letter no. 27-8/2015-PMNHP (Summaries) dated 23-2-2022 & letter no. Health/SHPI/160165 dated 31-3-2022 (Annex II & III). The phase II of all NMD-KP districts (except for Khyber 24-2-2022 and Bajaur 28-2-2022) is going to complete by June 30, 2022. Therefore, it is requested to take immediate actions to execute the approvals of Prime Minister of Pakistan in aforesaid summary to ensure the uninterrupted continuity of services to NMD-KP residents, under intimation to this office. The funding related issues should be dealt with concerned divisions directly by the KP Government. The Ministry of National Health Services and Regulations & Coordination will fully support the efforts,” it is explained in an official notification available with The News.
“And after a long process and painstaking discussions, the strategy was made and only funds were to be transferred when the PTI lost their government in the center,” the official recalled. He said the federal government was likely to transfer funds ranging from Rs4.06 billion to Rs5 billion to the KP government in July.