LAHORE: Medical experts fear that health authorities may suspend annual healthcare coverage for patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) and called on the Punjab chief minister to take notice in the best interest of the people living with the disease.

They said that at present many patients in Punjab relied on the provincial Sehat Card programme, which provides health insurance coverage of up to Rs400,000 annually. Patients and healthcare advocates have raised concern regarding the possible treatment disruptions amid uncertainty surrounding funding support for the chronic neurological disorder in Punjab ahead of the annual budget.

Medical experts estimate that the annual treatment expenses had already reached nearly Rs1 million per patient, making long-term care unaffordable for many families.

Some experts believe that the high cost of treatment, coupled with limited government support, had been placing many patients at the risk of disability as they struggled to continue life-saving therapy.

Punjab Health Initiative Management Company official denies suspension of MS treatment

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the nervous system and can lead to impaired mobility, vision problems, and long-term disability. The disease primarily affects young adults between the ages of 20 and 40, with women making up a majority of cases.

According to the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation, nearly 2.9 million people worldwide are living with the disease. In Pakistan, doctors estimate there were between 12,000 to 14,000 diagnosed patients, although comprehensive national data was unavailable.

Some neurologists say advances in medical treatment have significantly improved outcomes for MS patients in recent years through the use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), which help slow disease progression and reduce relapses.

However, they say that access to treatment remains a major challenge in Pakistan due to high costs and limited healthcare resources.

They believe that the available amount is already insufficient to cover the full cost of treatment.

According to them, many patients are unable to arrange additional funding and are often forced to interrupt therapy, a situation neurologists warn can lead to severe consequences, including rapid disease progression and irreversible neurological damage.

Healthcare advocates fear MS patients may face further uncertainty if dedicated funding mechanisms are not introduced.

They have urged the authorities to ensure uninterrupted and affordable treatment for MS patients, warning that failure to do so will increase long-term burden on public healthcare systems as more patients develop permanent disabilities requiring lifelong support.

A senior official of the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company denied the suspension of healthcare treatment of MS patients under the Sehat Sahulat Programme.

He said that the Punjab government would continue the treatment without any pause and also claimed that the amount may be increased in the future depending upon the availability of the health budget.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2026