PESHAWAR: The State Life Insurance Corporation continues to suspend and resume free health services on Sehat Card Plus, depending on the availability of funds.

Sources said that the free treatment programme had been facing financial issues since the installation of the caretaker government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the insurance company was not getting the desired amount on monthly basis. The programme was suspended and resumed several times during the last few months owing to non-payment of dues to the insurance company by the government.

The insurer issued a notification to suspend free health services on May 9 and asked all the empanelled hospitals to stop admitting patients on Sehat Card Plus. It said that the suspension was on temporary basis and could be resumed when funds were made available by the government.

The continuation of the programme was announced till May 11 when government agreed on paying Rs2 billion but a notification issued by the SLIC on May 18 said that the scheme would stay suspended from May 22.

Govt has to pay Rs10 billion to clear all dues of insurance firm

“The government has already transferred Rs1 billion to the insurance company that will be received on Monday after which the programme will get extension for a couple of days,” an official of SLIC told Dawn.

SLIC has already suspended free dialysis and treatment of cancer patients besides provision of services for intensive care, liver and renal transplants on SCP on May 2 as the reserved fund has exhausted. The decision has affected more than 11,000 patients with damaged kidneys, who regularly received dialysis on SCP in the past.

The free treatment of 2,000 cancer patients has also been discontinued while the people requiring liver and renal transplants have also suffered owing to suspension of the scheme.

Sources said that the reserved fund was meant to facilitate the patients whose treatment needed more than Rs400,000. Under the programme, each family of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was eligible to avail the treatment of Rs1 million per year but the cost above Rs400, 000 was paid from reserved fund, they added.

As per agreement, the government has to pay Rs2 billion to the insurance firm to keep the programme afloat and ensure availability of money in reserved fund. Each time, the government transfers Rs2 billion to the insurer, a certain portion of the amount is deposited in reserved fund. However, due to lesser payment to the company during the past few months, the reserved fund has depleted and has come to zero balance.

Sources said that the government had to pay a total of Rs10 billion to clear all dues of SLIC and let the programme sail smoothly. However, it is not possible for the cash-strapped caretaker government. The insurance firm will continue to suspend and then resume free services till June 30 when budget will be announced and the programme will get sizeable allocation.

They said that the programme could have been discontinued long ago but SLIC being a semi-government organisation was financially stable and wanted to continue the services. They said that there had been many ups and downs in the programme since its launch in 2016 but provision of free treatment services to people of the province was never suspended before the installation of the caretaker government.

In addition to suspension of the programme time and again, many hospitals have not been doing certain procedures on SCP because they demand revision of rates. “Most of the cardiac surgeons have been requesting the authorities to increase the rates as the cost of implants has gone up in international market due to devaluation of rupee against dollar,” said sources.

The programme covers 9.7 million families in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. So far, Rs55 billion has been spent on the free treatment of 2.3 million patients. There are 1,139 empanelled hospitals, including public and private, where eligible people can seek free treatment services.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2023