KP to include more hospitals for Sehat Card Scheme

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to expand the free treatment facilities under the Sehat Card Scheme by including more public and private hospitals in the Sehat Card panel.

Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has directed the quarters concerned to convene a meeting of the policy board to accord a final approval for the inclusion of hospitals meeting the quality standards of the Sehat Card Scheme. The chief minister issued the directives, while chairing a meeting of the Health Department here on Monday, said a handout.

The meeting was attended by Advisor to the Chief Minister on Health, Ehtesham Ali, Additional Chief Secretary Planning and Development, Ikramullah Khan, Secretary Health, Syed Adeel Shah, and officials from the Health Department and its subsidiary organizations, including the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Foundation and Sehat Card Plus.

The participants discussed the empanelment of more hospitals under Sehat Card Scheme, outsourcing of hospitals in remote districts, reforms in the health sector, and other related matters.

The meeting reviewed the financial dues and other relevant matters of already outsourced public hospitals in some districts of the province. The chief minister directed the Finance Department to immediately clear the dues to ensure the resumption of healthcare services in these hospitals as soon as possible.

In light of the provincial cabinet’s decision, the meeting deliberated on outsourcing additional hospitals through the Health Foundation, directing the Health Department to present proposals for outsourcing more hospitals under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model by next month.

It was decided to simplify the existing complicated process of hospital outsourcing by making necessary amendments to relevant legal framework, further deciding to constitute a steering committee under the chairmanship of the chief minister to streamline the entire process of outsourcing.

The meeting decided to provide free medicines to children suffering from hemophilia in collaboration with Roche Pharmaceuticals Company. The cost of these free medicines will be shared equally by the provincial government and Roche Pharmaceuticals Company. The chief minister said efforts were being made to strengthen basic healthcare centers.

“The outsourcing of hospitals under the PPP model has resulted in promising results, and the process will be further improved to ensure the provision of quality healthcare services to residents of far-flung areas”, he added.