Over 0.1m registered for health insurance cards

PESHAWAR:

The government has registered around 0.1 million people for its social health insurance programme under which health cards will be issued to underprivileged citizens. Cards will be handed over by September 30.

According to an official of the health department, the programme has been launched in Mardan, Chitral, Malakand and Kohat in the first phase, and is currently under way, while more people will be registered soon.

“For the first phase four districts were identified,” the official told The Express Tribune. He added the programme will be extended to other districts of the province later. He, however, declined to be named as he was not authorised to talk to the media.

He also said the total premium for per family is Rs1,700 per year and the coverage for one family per year is Rs175,000.

According to health officials, data of underprivileged people in need of the service will be collected in part from the Benazir Income Support Programme. Only 21% of the data will be obtained from the BISP while the rest will be identified through different means, said officials without pointing them out.



Only deserving people will be registered and political influence will not be entertained, claimed officials.

When contacted, Riaz Tanoli, who is in charge of the health insurance programme, said the process was still in progress since 0.9 million people (around 0.1 million families) will be registered by September 30. Data of 127,000 persons had been shared with State Life Insurance company of which around 0.1 million have been registered.

“We are all set to start this scheme by October 1 since we have decided to hand over health cards to the registered people by September 30,” Tanoli told The Express Tribune. He added a meeting was scheduled for Tuesday (today) with State Life Insurance wherein other items for the programme will be discussed.

On January 19, the programme was launched in collaboration with Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), a German government-owned development bank. KfW will fund 88% of the total expenditure that amounts to Rs1.34 billion over five years in the shape of a grant, while the remaining 12% will be covered by the K-P government.

The programme will cover 497 pre-existing medical conditions and will also incorporate maternity, child care, common surgeries, accidents, emergencies and common ailments at panel hospitals across the four districts.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2015.