The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has achieved a significant milestone by implementing the Sehat Insaf Card and Sehat Card Plus program, providing health insurance and universal healthcare coverage to all permanent residents of the province.
History and Coverage
The KP government initiated the Sehat Insaf Card in 2015 as an unprecedented healthcare initiative focusing on emergency hospitalization while also focusing on surgeries, cardiac and cardiovascular treatements. As per a 2022 report by the National Library of Medicine "The objective of the SSP was to provide healthcare to more than 4 billion residents in all 35 districts of the KP province. Under this program, resident can avail the treatment of up to Rs. 1 million (approx. $6000) per family per year in more than 400 public and private sectors of the KP representing about 25% of the health facilities in the province." In 2022, the PTI government began providing completely free-of-cost healthcare to tribal areas and tribal peoples as well.
In a 2023 report by Tribal News Network "PTI government initiated the Sehat Insaf card project in August 2020 to provide free healthcare services to the public. Under the scheme, every family is entitled to treatment amounting to Rs 1 million. Initially, the scheme covered only three percent of the population. Under the Sehat Insaf card, Rs 200,000 are allotted for basic treatment, Rs 400,000 for advance treatment and Rs 400,000 for major surgeries. The basic plan covers hospital admissions including childbirth, general surgeries, diabetes and other illnesses. On the other hand, advance treatment covers kidney and cardiovascular illnesses, angioplasty and open heart surgery. KP residents are entitled to get these treatments any of the impaneled hospitals. In addition to this, transplant and cancer treatment is also covered under the health card. Currently, health card covers 4.8 million people of the province and KP government has also provided legal protection through an act of assembly."
Key Features
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Financial Coverage: Each family is entitled to free medical treatment up to PKR 1,000,000 per year.
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Network of Hospitals: The program has empaneled over 400 public and private hospitals, ensuring widespread accessibility to healthcare services.
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Comprehensive Services: The Sehat Card Plus covers a wide range of medical services, including hospitalizations, surgeries, and treatments for chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular ailments.
This initiative has significantly reduced the financial burden of healthcare on families, improved access to quality medical services, and contributed to better health outcomes across the province.
Sources and Further Reading
https://www.dawn.com/news/1699079
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9223125/
https://tnnenglish.com/five-pti-achievements-in-kp