Insurance firm suspends free health services in KP

PESHAWAR: The State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan (SLICP) Tuesday again suspended its free health services in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the Sehat Card Plus Programme over nonpayment of dues by the caretaker government.

The insurance company said it would discontinue the free health services across the province if the arrears were not cleared by August 25.

The former PTI government had launched the programme in 2018-19. “All panel hospitals working under the Sehat Card Plus Programme in KP are advised to stop taking new admissions under the Sehat Card Plus Programme, KP w.e.f 22 Aug 2023, till further directions. However, immediate emergencies and life-saving procedures would be allowed under pre-authorisation,” the issurance company announced.

It circulated a summary to the relevant stakeholders, a copy of which is available with The News.

The company, however, stated that it would provide emergency services to patients in hospitals on their panel.

“The health desks of the Sehat Card Plus Programme at your hospitals would remain open to facilitate immediate emergency and life-saving admissions by sending all such requests for pre-authorisation. All private panel hospitals are further advised to refer all cases (except immediate emergencies and life-threatening cases) to the public sector hospitals in the absence of Sehat Card Plus Coverage,” the company said.

The company earlier suspended its services in April this year when the caretaker government led by the elderly Mohammad Azam Khan had failed to make payments to the insurance company. At that time, the government was supposed to pay Rs14 billion to the company.

The company on that occasion announced it would restore services if the government paid Rs2 billion and made the remaining payment later after the Eid. The company later restored its services when the government paid it Rs1 billion.

The insurance company at that time on the commitment of chief secretary resumed their services and issued a notification by asking its employees to facilitate the patients.

However, the company officials said the provincial government did not fulfill their promise to make further payments, prompting the service provider to suspend coverage from May 9. “The government didn’t pay Rs2 billion arrears for March and Rs4 billion for April and now they have to pay Rs4 billion for May,” an official of the company said.

He said the arrears had now risen to Rs28 billion and it was not possible for the company to continue its free health services.

“The government didn’t fulfil its commitment and failed to make payment. It seems the government is either not willing to continue with the current policy of free health services or it doesn’t have funds for the programme,” an official of the insurance company told The News on condition of anonymity.

Also, he said the outstanding amount will further increase next month in September when the government will need to pay an additional amount of Rs7 billion.

The KP government has already stated that it was facing serious financial difficulties to meet its expenses.

The caretaker government had earlier stated that the federal government was to pay Rs238 billion to the KP government as its arrears.

The caretaker government had long stopped all development projects in the province due to lack of funds. It would have serious consequences for the government if the free health services programme was scrapped.