Sehat card suspended in 48 private hospitals

Services in these hospitals were found poor

PESHAWAR:

State Life Insurance has suspended Sehat Insaf Card use in 48 hospitals of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) after treatment facilities were found unsatisfactory in these health establishments.

K-P health department has been formally informed about this decision by the insurance company.

Official sources told The Express Tribune that a team of the insurance company visited these hospitals and found that they were providing very substandard treatment facilities to patients so their agreement with the company has been suspended for six months.

“The decision will be implemented from 5th of this month. After six months, a team will visit these hospitals and their service delivery will be inspected. If found satisfactory, then their membership will be reinstated,” said an official, adding that nine hospitals had been suspended in Mardan, five in Battagram, four in Charsadda, one in DI Khan, Hangu, Haripur, Kohat, Abbotabad, Bannu, Malakand and Shangla each, seven in Swabi, two in Swat and two in Dir Upper.

Health Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra has said that it is the mandate of the State Life to select or deselect hospitals and these 48 private hospitals were unable to provide quality health services.

“These hospitals were not providing quality services under Sehat Card so they were deselected. Once their score is improved, these hospitals will be included in the list of panel hospitals,” he added.

The minister said that currently there were 203 private hospitals on the panel while another 32 are being included.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd, 2022.