Sehat Card Programme: Free OPD services in four districts launched

PESHAWAR: In a significant step toward expanding healthcare access in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an agreement was signed between the Health Department and State Life Insurance Corporation for the provision of free Outpatient Department (OPD) services in four pilot districts.

This initiative comes after the successful delivery of free indoor patient services, marking a move towards comprehensive healthcare for outdoor patients as well.?Speaking on the occasion, Health Advisor Ihtisham Ali expressed gratitude to the German government for its continued support in the health sector, which has been instrumental in realising this milestone. “We are launching free OPD services in four districts as a pilot project,” he said, emphasizing the importance of this expansion. “Today’s agreement marks the beginning of a two-year collaboration between Sehat Card and the German government’s financial institution KFW to provide free OPD services,”

Under this agreement, Chief Executive Dr Riaz Tanoli signed on behalf of Sehat Card, while Fayyaz Noor represented State Life Insurance Corporation.

During the event, Dr Riaz Tanoli highlighted that the partnership between KFW and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government initially began in 2016 with the provision of Inpatient Department (IPD) services in select districts under Phase 1. The success of this phase led to the expansion of IPD services across the entire province.

Now, in Phase 2, free OPD services will be piloted in four districts-Mardan, Kohat, Malakand, and Chitral-with the support of KFW. The services will initially launch in Mardan and gradually expand to the remaining districts.

Patients will be able to access free OPD services under this initiative.The total cost of the two-year project is €9.4 million, with 90% of the funding provided by the German government and 10% by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.?Approximately, 120,000 families from these four districts will benefit from the project. Based on the success of the pilot phase, the program will be expanded across the entire province.