K-P may hire new insurance firm for Sehat Sahulat programme

Finance minister agrees to provide funds to staff health PMU

PESHAWAR: The provincial government on Friday decided to rebid to hire a different insurance firm for its flagship Sehat Sahulat Card, a public health insurance programme so that the entire population of the province can be covered.

This was decided in a high-level meeting chaired by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra regarding coverage under the Sehat Sahulat Programme at the Civil Secretariat in Peshawar.

The health secretary gave a brief presentation on the different options available for hiring a new insurance firm to cover the entire population of the province. Moreover, it said that under the new plan, all government employees will also be included in the programme.

Further, the project will now include both public and private hospitals on its panel to ensure the provision of quality treatment to cardholders.

It was suggested that only hospitals with adequate medical facilities will be included in the panel.

After a detailed discussion, it was decided that the health department will opt for rebidding to hire a new insurance company while the bidding organizations will be asked to submit two proposals, one for premium-based coverage and the second which will operate as per a fund management system.

Jhagra, though, expressed his concern about the understaffed Project Management Unit (PMU) and agreed to support the health department in setting up a smart and well-resourced PMU.

He added that by giving the Sehat Insaf Card to every family in the province, K-P will become the first province in the country to offer universal health coverage to all of its residents.

“Provision of universal health services to the public will be a game-changer in the health sector of the province and will put to an end to the suffering of poor and marginalized by allowing them to secure timely treatment in standard hospitals with dignity,” Jhagra said.

He also agreed to proper monitoring in the programme and that they will facilitate the involvement of the National Database Regulatory Authority (NADRA) for setting up a dedicated database for the programme.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2019.