PESHAWAR: The provincial government has drafted a law titled ‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universal Health Coverage Act, 2021’ to ensure sustainability and oversight of Sehat Sahulat Programme (SSP) for free treatment of the people.

The proposed law being vetted by law department is meant to institutionalise the free health insurance programme and make it binding on the government to continue giving basic health needs to the people, according to officials.

Under the law, a commission would be set up with Board of Governors to take quick decisions for prompt extension of services to the patients and run it on permanent basis.

Currently, the programme is managed through a small project management unit, which covers the entire province.

The programme is been operating as result of an executive order by the government, which can be discontinued any time.

Commission will be set up for taking quick decisions

After the passage of the proposed law, it will become binding upon the government to continue the programme like other health programmes.

Officials said that passage of the law would require two-third majority in the provincial assembly.

They said that the ruling PTI had the required majority in the assembly.

They added that reversal of the law would also need two-third majority in the provincial assembly.

SSP was launched in collaboration with KfW, a German bank, in four districts in 2015, covering three per cent population of the province.

It was extended to 51 per cent population in 2016 and then to 69 per cent in 2017. It was extended to the entire province in November 2020. Now it covers 7.2 million families of the province.

All the residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are entitled to seek free treatment in about 500 hospitals in the country under the programme.

So far, 290,000 patients have been treated free of cost at the government and private hospitals.

The government has so far spent Rs12 billion on free treatment of people. There is a rapid increase in number of patients after extension of the programme to the whole province.

Each family is getting treatment worth Rs1 million per year. The programme has now been replicated in other provinces.

Officials said that following extension of the programme to the whole province, an estimated 2,100 patients were admitted to the hospitals on average every day.

The new law, on which work has been started in 2018, is likely to be approved by law department and subsequent passed by the assembly within a month. It ensures that the people get universal health coverage without financial woes and they don’t face any issue in getting treatment. The entire population of the province is entitled to free treatment regardless financial status.

“Many amendments have been incorporated in the draft law in coordination with law and health departments to make the universal health basic right of the people,” said officials.

SSP Deputy Director Dr Aamir Rafiq told Dawn that the law was meant to give permanent status to the programme with proper oversight and sustainability for the health benefits of the people in long term.

“The government is keen to facilitate people in their treatment in a convenient way. Health Minister Taimur Salim Jhagra is personally spearheading the health initiative to benefit all the people,” he said.

Dr Aamir said that selection of hospitals was made through proper mechanism and the empanelled health facilities were monitored for the standard services to the people.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2021