ISLAMABAD: The subcommittee of the Executive Committee of the Senate Secretariat Employees Welfare Fund on Wednesday recommended providing health insurance to employees of the Senate.
The committee was held under the convenership of Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti to further deliberate upon better health facilities for Senate employees.
The meeting was attended by senators Agha Shahzaib Durrani, Saleem Mandviwalla and Anusha Rahman while Senator Nasir Mahmood attended via Zoom.
Senator Amir Chishti, while talking to Dawn, said while residents of Islamabad were already entitled to avail the health insurance, the sub-committee had recommended providing health facilities to employees through some insurance company.
“It will be a separate or same company only for the employees of Senate. Currently the Senate employees are entitled to get reimbursement of the medical bills, which they pay on their own and then file an application for the reimbursement,” he said. Senator Chishti said the current setup was becoming a reason of pilferage for funds.
“The provision of medical treatment through an insurance company will not only stop the submission of bogus bills but will also stop the treatment of irrelevant persons as under the current setup there is a possibility that some other person can get the treatment using the name of Senate employees”, he added. Replying to a question, he said the facility will not be for the employees of National Assembly as the committee has only a mandate to give recommendations for the employees of the Senate.
During the meeting, members sought clarification regarding the projected future premium and the financial implications of the proposed health insurance scheme. It was informed that, including employees and their eligible family members, the total number of persons proposed to be covered under the health insurance arrangement would be around 6,767.
The members noted that the available budgetary resources of the Senate Secretariat could facilitate the introduction of a group health insurance scheme to provide employees and their families with improved and timely healthcare facilities.
The subcommittee recommended that the existing medical allowance being provided to employees through their pay may be considered for deduction and adjustment towards the premium payable for the proposed health insurance coverage, subject to applicable rules and approval by the competent authority.
The chair directed that the proposed health insurance arrangement be further examined through the State Life Insurance Corporation with a view to pursuing a government-to-government (G-to-G) arrangement. He further directed to provide further clarification regarding the scope of coverage, premium structure, terms and conditions and other relevant aspects to ensure that Senate employees and their families do not face difficulties at any stage of the proposed scheme.
The subcommittee further agreed in principle that employees should not simultaneously avail both medical reimbursement and health insurance benefits. Upon implementation of the proposed health insurance scheme, the medical coverage would be provided through the insurance arrangement, while the existing reimbursement facility would not be available for the same purpose.
Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2026
