Imran asks Nawaz to follow KP policies
PESHAWAR: Extending the scope of Pakistan’s first Health Insurance Scheme to the whole of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to follow the policies of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and establish an independent accountability body like Ehtesab Commission that can even lay hand on the premier.
The health insurance scheme called ‘Sehat Ka Insaf” is a two-year project of Rs5 billion. The German official bank, KFW, has agreed to provide financial assistance to the project. The scheme was earlier launched in four districts of the province including Chitral, Malakand, Mardan and Kohat.
Imran Khan and Chief Minister Pervez Khattak formally launched its second phase and announced to bring 50 percent population of the province under its cover.
Seemingly satisfied with the performance of the PTI-led provincial government, Imran Khan congratulated Health Minister Shahram Khan Tarakai and Secretary Health Abid Majeed for introducing what he termed ‘an innovative project of health insurance scheme.’
He said it would enable the underprivileged class of the society to get access to quality healthcare in both the public and private sector hospitals of the province.
“Today I am so excited to know that this scheme would help the poor patients in getting treatment. I am also happy to learn that a poor daily wager would get payment for three days if admitted to a hospital,” the PTI leader said.
He emphasised the need for merit while selecting people for the scheme, saying there should be no discrimination in issuing “Sehat Insaf Card.” As usual, he criticised his political rival Nawaz Sharif, saying he should have spent money on human beings and established standard hospitals in the country.
“Nawaz Sharif goes to London for his routine checkup that costs the national exchequer millions of rupees. He would have felt the plight of poor patients had he visited any government hospital for his treatment,” he added.
Imran Khan recalled it was a poor attendant of a cancer patient who prompted him to establish the first cancer hospital in Lahore for providing free treatment. He said the cancer hospital in Lahore has been facing Rs4 billion budget deficit but even then free treatment to the poor patients is ensured.
“Cancer treatment is the most expensive all over the world and one patient usually costs Rs1 million, but we decided to provide quality treatment free of cost at the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital,” reminded.
Pervez Khattak said his government had given full autonomy to the hospitals and there was no political interference in the decision-making process of government institutions.
“Before us, some generals tried to change the health system but they failed as they could not resist doctors’ pressure. I resisted the pressure and implemented the new system,” he claimed. Health Minister Shahram Tarakai talked about the initiatives taken for improving patient care and hospitals’ standards.
He said doctors’ stipends were raised by 250 percent as they wanted to encourage them to serve in the periphery.
Highlighting the health insurance scheme, Secretary Health Abid Majeed said State Life Insurance Corporation would execute the project by providing services to the card holders.
Previously, he said seven members of a family were entitled to the scheme, but now eight of them would be benefited. In the past year, he said 70,0000 families, forming 21 percent of the low income population, were provided health insurance cards in the four districts.
Now when the programme has been extended to the entire province, the secretary health said it would cover 18,00,000 families or 14.4 million households.
He said the public sector hospitals would get 75 percent of the funds earned from the scheme, and would be entitled to utilize it for patient care or purchasing equipment.
Abid Majeed said the programme would be included in the provincial Annual Development Programme (ADP) so that the upcoming governments continue it. Under the scheme, he said eight members of a family would be entitled to free medical treatment up to Rs.540, 000 and it would help around 150 million people of low income group.
The provincial government would pay Rs1,700 premium for health insurance for each household.
The services covered in the scheme include hospital services provided at the secondary and tertiary level such as medicines, general surgery, gynae and obstetrics, ophthalmology, ENT, etc.
In case the card-holder dies in hospital, the family would get Rs10,000 as funeral charges.
Also, under the health insurance scheme, Rs1,000 will be paid as travelling allowance in case of pregnancy or delivery.
