PESHAWAR, Sept 6: Religious scholars and health experts have agreed on devising a socio-economic health system in which registered members will pay according to their financial capacity and get services according to their needs.

The consensus was developed in a seminar on social health insurance at the Peshawar Medical College. NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani was the chief guest.

The participants deliberated over salient features of the proposed system, its implementation and the expected outcomes.

Provincial Health Minister Inayatullah said the social insurance system would be chalked out in the light of the views of prominent religious scholars.

Mufti Ghulam Rehman said protection of health was a religious obligation. He said chalking out a socio-economic mechanism to ensure health facilities to people was viable in the light of religious injunctions. He underlined the need of spreading awareness for the purpose.

Khalid Rahman, Director-General, Institute of Policy Studies, highlighted characteristics of the proposed system.

He said such funds should be formed in limited circle with registered members bound to pay according to their capacity but allowed to get services according to the nature of their ailment. He said that in the proposed system healthy persons should pay for patients and rich should assist the poor.

He said members would be free to choose the services. He said such social healthy system existed in Germany in its ideal form.

Dr Javed, Technical Advisor of the GTZ, said government-financed system of health had been outdated. “In the system poor pay more but get less services,” he remarked. .

GTZ Advisor Dr Bernt Applet said that in Germany, 350 statutory funds were providing 99.5 pre cent coverage to members. He said that under the system, universal membership was compulsory and employees paid seven per cent of their income while the employers contributed an equal amount.

He said the goal of the system was social harmony, solidarity, subsidy and providing choice of medical services.—PPI