K-P releases Rs2b for Sehat Plus Card

Govt has to pay Rs10b to the insurance company

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has released another Rs2 billion for the Sehat Plus Card.

Talking to The Express Tribune an official of the health department said that the amount would be transferred to the account of the insurance company in the next three days so that treatment under the health insurance could continue unabated.

Earlier the insurance company had issued a final deadline of May 25 for the payment of the quarterly installment so that it could continue the treatment facilities under the sehat card scheme. It forced the provincial government to release Rs1 billion on emergency basis and now Rs2 billion fund has been released.

“The provincial government has to pay Rs10 billion to the insurance company till the end of the current fiscal year in June,” said an official, adding that due to the financial crisis the provincial government is faced with great difficulty to pay the amount in time.

He said that due to the non-payment of reserved funds the insurance company has already stopped the treatment of cancer, dialysis services for kidney patients and liver transplant service in the province.

On the other hand K-P health department has completed the inquiry into the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Mir Ali. The hospital is run under public private partnership basis and has been handed over to a private firm.

The inquiry has recommended that a final warning should be issued to the firm and if the agreement is not followed in true spirit, then the agreement with the company should be terminated.

The inquiry committee has submitted its report to the health department.

“The inquiry has pointed out several problems in the hospital and said that no medical officer has been deployed at the emergency while few medicines are available at the emergency for the treatment of patients,” said an official, adding that there is no stock register maintained.

“The inquiry team also found four large and six small oxygen cylinders non-functional at the emergency and no sterilization was installed at the ward,” he said, adding that no record was maintained at the emergency ward of the treated patients.

The committee also found medical, general, ENT, orthopedic, dental and OPD service closed at the Mir Ali Hospital, he informed.

“No stock register was found in the medical store of the hospital along with the pharmacist. Anti-biotic, eye drops, ENT and OT medicines, lifesaving drugs and other medical store items were found missing,” he observed, adding that at the medical laboratory no hygiene was maintained and the investigation rates had also been increased without informing district health officer (DHO).

“A private hematology analyzer was found working in the lab who was taking all the profit,” he said.

In the radiology section the ultrasound machine was found operating with gel while in the labor room no evening service was found.

“The condition of surgical operation theater was also found very bad where there was no hygiene and proper lighting. There was no alternate power supply for the OT and no centralized oxygen system available,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2023.