Sehat Card Plus programme: Free treatment provided to 940,000 patients, indicates report

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s flagship Sehat Card Plus programme has provided free medical treatment to 940,000 patients across the province over the past year, according to the government’s one-year performance report.

The report reveals that 72percent of the patients received treatment in public hospitals, while 28percent were treated in private healthcare facilities under the scheme.

The initiative, aimed at providing universal healthcare access, continues to be a cornerstone of the province’s health sector reforms.

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, the provincial government has introduced unprecedented measures to strengthen the healthcare system, aligning with the vision of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. For the current fiscal year, the government has allocated Rs231 billion for the health sector — a 13percent increase from the previous year.

Some of the key healthcare initiatives include: Expansion of maternal and newborn care with the establishment of 120 Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care Centres; improved rural healthcare governance through the formation of 850 Primary Care Management Committees; Procurement of over 250 medical devices for secondary hospitals; Expansion of Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, adding 500 new beds to the Allied and Surgical Block.

The report said that Rs 5.5 billion allocated for medicine procurement, ensuring 90 percent availability.