CM pushes reforms tostrengthen Sehat card

Seeks greater transparency, expanded coverage

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has said that the Sehat Card Plus is a major public welfare initiative and stressed the need for practical reforms and measures to make the programme more effective, efficient and sustainable.

He said health and education were the top priorities of the provincial government and directed the relevant authorities to ensure timely completion of all matters relating to these sectors, leaving no room for unnecessary delays or impediments.

The chief minister was chairing a meeting on the Sehat Card Plus programme, where various proposals aimed at improving its organisation, effectiveness and long-term sustainability were reviewed in detail.

The meeting discussed the scope of the health card, treatment coverage, service rates, measures to prevent misuse of the facility and the inclusion of government healthcare facilities in the programme.

A proposal was considered to include basic health units, rural health centres and Category-D hospitals operating round the clock throughout the week in the Sehat Card Plus programme. The meeting also reviewed proposals to expand coverage for expensive treatments and increase service rates in phases.

Chief Minister Afridi stressed that misuse of the Sehat Card facility must be prevented and directed that hospitals be strictly required to comply with the prescribed code of conduct. He also called for greater transparency, efficiency and financial discipline in the programme. He said the ongoing revamping of basic health units and district headquarters hospitals was aimed at providing quality healthcare facilities to people at their doorstep. The provincial government, he added, was allocating substantial resources to improve healthcare services, making it essential to ensure their effective utilisation and tangible results.

The meeting also agreed on the need to enhance the capacity and performance of the Social Health Protection Unit.

A proposal to introduce a top-up health package as an optional facility for government employees under the Sehat Card programme was also discussed.

The chief minister said health and education were among the foremost priorities of the provincial government in accordance with the vision of PTI founder Imran Khan. He said the government would move forward with a practical and result-oriented strategy to provide quality healthcare facilities to the people, adding that ensuring the best possible healthcare services remained the ultimate objective.

Afridi directed the authorities to prepare a comprehensive action plan on the proposed reforms and measures through mutual consultation and submit it for consideration.

He said another meeting would be held next week, during which all proposals would be finalised and a practical and result-oriented roadmap would be devised to further improve the effectiveness of the Sehat Card Plus programme.