The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Monday announced that it would extend the Sehat Insaf Card to the entire populace of the province in next year's budget.

The decision was taken during a meeting on health plan chaired by KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan. Provincial Minister for Health Dr Hisham Inamullah Khan, Finance Minister Taimur Salim Jhagra, Adviser to PM Iftikhar Durrani and other high-level officials were also present in the meeting.

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The chief minister said that under the new plan the Sehat Insaf Card will give free-of-cost coverage for HIV/AIDS and all types of cancers.

"This public friendly government will take public friendly decisions," Khan said.

The programme will offer medical coverage worth Rs400,000 per family for tertiary care diseases, which would cover the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, emergency and trauma, all kinds of fractures, head and spinal injuries as well as joint replacement surgeries.

Khan further said that the proposed plan would also offer medical coverage worth Rs280,000 for as many as 1,000 types of secondary care diseases at DHQ-level hospital.

The chief minister said that the programme, which would set the government back Rs10.2 billion, would provide medical treatment to 4,998,718 families of KP.

He also said that 27 public and 59 private hospitals will be a part of the scheme, which will be implemented through the State Life Corporation.