PM’s big-ticket health insurance plan to cover Sindh, K-P
People with less than Rs200/day income to be treated free of cost
PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
In order to garner support for the 2018 elections and dispel the image that the PML-N government has hardly done anything for other provinces except Punjab, the federal government has decided to expand its over a year old health insurance programme to the remaining two provinces - Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
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Speaking at the 15th National Steering Committee of Prime Minister’s National Health Programme on Thursday, Minister for National Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar said the programme is being launched in Sindh and K-P on the premier’s directives. The federal government will pay the entire premium for both the provinces’ enrolled families with no expense of the provincial governments. Initially, the federal government was supposed to make 40 to 60 per cent contribution and the rest was supposed to be covered by provinces, she added.
The federal government had launched the initiative on December 31, 2015 and the aim was to provide free medical treatment to 3.2 million underprivileged families (earning less than Rs200 a day) in the first phase, but the two provinces were not included in the programme.
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The minister said to date 17,000 patients have been admitted to 81 hospitals on panel under the programme and thousands of enrolled patients have been successfully treated in the best public and private hospitals. Sharing figures, she said 104 open heart surgeries have been performed, 119 treated for different forms of cancer, 643 cataract eye surgeries, 1,289 caesarians performed, 1,080 normal deliveries, 796 appendix operations, 658 operated for gall stones, 866 hernia operations, 830 hysterectomy, 275 angiographies, 217 angioplasties and 469 dialysis. So far Rs200 million have been paid to the hospitals on panel for treatment of the enrolled patients.
The minister said under the third party evaluation by National Database and Regulatory Authority (NADRA) there was more than 92 per cent patient satisfaction from those treated under the programme. Stringent monitoring was being done through federal, provincial and district level monitoring units, she added.
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Initially, the programme was launched in 23 districts of Pakistan, which is now being expanded to 60 districts, covering 11 districts of Federally Administered Tribal Areas, 10 of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, seven of Gilgit Baltistan, 11 of Punjab, 12 of Balochistan, four each of Sindh and K-P, and Islamabad Capital Territory with the beneficiary families amounting to 3.0 million.
In the revised PC-1 an amount of Rs8.1 billion has been allocated for the programme, the minister said. Work is underway for the next phase of the programme which will cover the entire country providing the service to all families living below the poverty line.
The meeting was also attended by officials from the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, representatives from PM Office, provincial health departments, Ministry of Finance, Law and Planning, State Life Insurance Corporation, NADRA and others.
In order to garner support for the 2018 elections and dispel the image that the PML-N government has hardly done anything for other provinces except Punjab, the federal government has decided to expand its over a year old health insurance programme to the remaining two provinces - Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
PM ‘committed to Balochistan uplift’
Speaking at the 15th National Steering Committee of Prime Minister’s National Health Programme on Thursday, Minister for National Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar said the programme is being launched in Sindh and K-P on the premier’s directives. The federal government will pay the entire premium for both the provinces’ enrolled families with no expense of the provincial governments. Initially, the federal government was supposed to make 40 to 60 per cent contribution and the rest was supposed to be covered by provinces, she added.
The federal government had launched the initiative on December 31, 2015 and the aim was to provide free medical treatment to 3.2 million underprivileged families (earning less than Rs200 a day) in the first phase, but the two provinces were not included in the programme.
PM announces health scheme for Thatta
The minister said to date 17,000 patients have been admitted to 81 hospitals on panel under the programme and thousands of enrolled patients have been successfully treated in the best public and private hospitals. Sharing figures, she said 104 open heart surgeries have been performed, 119 treated for different forms of cancer, 643 cataract eye surgeries, 1,289 caesarians performed, 1,080 normal deliveries, 796 appendix operations, 658 operated for gall stones, 866 hernia operations, 830 hysterectomy, 275 angiographies, 217 angioplasties and 469 dialysis. So far Rs200 million have been paid to the hospitals on panel for treatment of the enrolled patients.
The minister said under the third party evaluation by National Database and Regulatory Authority (NADRA) there was more than 92 per cent patient satisfaction from those treated under the programme. Stringent monitoring was being done through federal, provincial and district level monitoring units, she added.
PM launches National Health Programme in Narowal
Initially, the programme was launched in 23 districts of Pakistan, which is now being expanded to 60 districts, covering 11 districts of Federally Administered Tribal Areas, 10 of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, seven of Gilgit Baltistan, 11 of Punjab, 12 of Balochistan, four each of Sindh and K-P, and Islamabad Capital Territory with the beneficiary families amounting to 3.0 million.
In the revised PC-1 an amount of Rs8.1 billion has been allocated for the programme, the minister said. Work is underway for the next phase of the programme which will cover the entire country providing the service to all families living below the poverty line.
The meeting was also attended by officials from the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, representatives from PM Office, provincial health departments, Ministry of Finance, Law and Planning, State Life Insurance Corporation, NADRA and others.