PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday disposed of a petition challenging the suspension of free health facilities under the Sehat Sahulat Card by the relevant insurance company, as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa advocate general assured it that the government had no intention to close down the scheme.

A bench consisting of PHC Chief Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Shakeel Ahmad took up for preliminary hearing the petition filed by former MPA of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Fazal Ilahi, who claimed that the government suspended the free treatment programme, causing hardships to people.

Advocate General Aamir Javed stated that due to financial constraints, provision of certain facilities under the said programme had to be suspended. However, he said that recently provincial government released an amount of Rs2 billion to State Life Insurance Corporation (SLIC) after which the services were restored.

He said that the provincial government had no intention to abolish the programme and the petition was not based on facts. He contended that as the grievance of the petitioner had already been addressed, therefore, the petition had become infructuous.

Court disposes of plea against suspension of programme

Petitioner’s counsel Shah Faisal Ilyas said that the PTI had served Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province for almost nine years and during that period it had spent billions of rupees on provision of free health facilities to the people.

He stated that the provincial assembly was dissolved in January after which the caretaker government was installed. He said that provincial government after assuming power started adopting anti-people policies and also stopped the Sehat Sahulat Card (SSC) programme without assigning any cogent reason.

He claimed that last month, the SLIC asked the empanelled hospitals to stop admitting new patients under the said programme till further orders. He contended that the act of the respondents including the provincial government and SLIC of suspending the programme amounted to committing crime against the society, especially its poor segments.

The counsel contended that the impugned order of the respondents was taken in violation of several of the constitutional provisions and was thus unconstitutional and illegal.

He argued that free medical treatment of people under the Sehat Sahulat Card programme had been given protection by the previous government through an Act of assembly and thus it could not be stopped.

He said that Section 230 of Elections Act prohibited the caretaker government from making any policy decision in the province and thus its decision was illegal and without lawful authority.

He said that Supreme Court of Pakistan had also ruled in one of its judgments that the powers of the caretaker government should be implemented in line with the spirit of Part VIII of Constitution and Section 230 of Elections Act, 2017.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2023