All set for expansion of Sehat Sahulat Programme

Islamabad : The procurement process for Phase III of the Sehat Sahulat Programme concluded here Thursday with financial opening of proposals in the presence of members of the evaluation committee, media, and other officials. By the end of the year, the programme will be expanded, with all permanent residents of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Punjab, and Gilgit-Baltistan also becoming beneficiaries of the initiative.

Addressing the ceremony, the PM’s Special Assistant on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan said, “Today is the financial opening day, and after this, the contract for carrying out this huge task of Universal Health Insurance in Pakistan will be awarded to the selected insurance company for the year 2022-2025.” The Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health Nabeel Awan, CEO of the Sehat Sahulat Programme Muhammad Arshad, and senior officials of the Punjab Health Department also attended the event.

Dr. Faisal termed the development a major leap in the government’s mission to create a prosperous and healthy nation by implementing Universal Health Coverage for indoor services. “Effective December 31, 2021, the Sehat Sahulat Programme and Quami Sehat Card will gradually be extended to all permanent residents of ICT, Punjab, and Gilgit-Baltistan. The programme already covers all permanent residents of newly merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, District Tharparker-Sindh, entire Azad Jammu and Kashmir, along with persons with permanent disability and transgender community. It is 100% funded by the government of Pakistan and participating provincial governments.

Dr. Faisal hoped that the governments of Balochistan and Sindh would also join Universal Health Insurance in the near future to protect citizens against catastrophic healthcare expenditure of million of rupees for serious health issues like cardiac surgeries, cancer treatment, and renal failure, among others. “The Sehat Sahulat Programme is the flagship programme of the government in Pakistan as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, through which assistance is provided against catastrophic healthcare expenditure. The scheme will bring about major improvement in treatment and access to quality health care services to the population and will bring a revolution in Pakistan’s health sector,” he remarked.

Nabeel Awan said, through this initiative, all permanent residents of the said areas will get free health insurance for indoor healthcare services from empaneled hospitals through a transparent and computerized mechanism.

Muhammad Arshad informed that the services being provided by Quami Sehat Card include open heart surgeries, insertion of stents, cancer management, neurosurgical procedures, burn management, accident management, dialysis, intensive care management, deliveries, C-section and other medical and surgical procedures up to the limit of Rs1 million per family per year.

There is also a facility for inter-provincial/inter- district portability for availing free services from any empaneled hospital in Pakistan.