PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has ordered empanelment of district and tehsil headquarters hospitals to ensure free treatment of people in their native areas under the Sehat Card Plus programme.

He also instructed the relevant officials to strictly monitor the performance of designated hospitals and terminate the contracts of the health facilities that violated the agreements and did not facilitating the patients as per law, according to a stamen.

In order to ensure provision of free treatment facilities under Sehat Card Plus programme to the people, the chief minister directed the officials to empanel more district headquarters hospitals and tehsil headquarters hospitals to benefit the patients in their native areas.

Health Minister Taimur Khan, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, Health Secretary Amir Sultan Tareen and chief of the programme Dr Mohammad Riaz Tanoli attended a meeting chaired by the chief minister in this regard.

“There should be strict monitoring of the hospitals and any outlet found involved in negligence towards public service delivery should be excluded immediately as we need to achieve results of the programme,” Mr Khan told the meeting.

The meeting was informed that during the fiscal year 2021-22, hundred per cent of funds allocated for the free treatment scheme were utilised. Around 800,000 patients were admitted and treated under the programme during the same fiscal year.

So far 111,560 cardiac patients and more than 206,000 gynae patients have been treated under the scheme. Similarly, 63,450 oncology cases, 97 kidney transplants and 23 liver transplant have been carried out under the scheme.

The participants of the meeting were told that significant increase was made in the budget of the programme. Treatment of more diseases is also being included in the scheme.

The chief minister directed the authorities concerned to review the hospitals empanelled for the scheme and monitor their performance regularly to make the system more transparent and public-friendly.

He said that Sehat Card Plus was a unique project of its kind that would be made more comprehensive with the passing of time.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2022