PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has approved extension of Sehat Sahulat Programme (Social Health Protection Initiative) to the whole of province from the next financial year to provide free quality healthcare to the poorest strata of the population.
This was decided at a meeting held at Chief Minister’s Secretariat under the chairmanship of the chief minister. Chief Secretary Amjad Ali Khan, Health Secretary Abid Majid, Finance Secretary Ali Raza Bhutta and other high-ups attended the meeting. The health secretary, while giving details of the scheme, informed the meeting that the proposed programme costing Rs 1.82 billion would provide free healthcare services to 32% of the poorest population, around 1,166,388 households of the province, which constitute of 8,100,000 persons.
He elaborated that under the programme to be financed by the provincial government from its own resources, health facilities would be extended to the needy patients through insurance corporation in empanelled public and private hospitals in the district. He explained that deserving patients would be registered according to the poverty index criteria set by Benazir Income Support Programme. Similarly, he said that Rs 25,000 would be incurred on the treatment of a single deserving patient, while the whole poor family would be provided Rs 175.000 per year for the purpose. He went on to say that the registered patients would have the choice to select either public or private hospitals for treatment.
He elaborated that besides reducing expenditures of the poor population and generation of additional income for the public sector hospitals, the healthcare programme would also provide incentives for the health staff. The programme is already being implemented in four districts of the province, Mardan, Kohat, Malakand and Chitral with the financial assistance of KFW and the provincial government. The beneficiaries of existing programme are 21% poorest households, who are being facilitated under the programme. Similarly, 100,000 households including 700,000 individuals are provided healthcare services through State Life Insurance Corporation.
