PESHAWAR, Oct 21: Speakers at a workshop held here on Saturday said that the health system had failed to deliver and there was an urgent need to introduce a new system for promptly treating people.

“The government-run health system has become outdated and people are not getting proper health care,” said Dr Mohammad Javed, technical adviser of the GTZ. The workshop on ‘Social Health Insurance System’ was organised at the Peshawar Medical College to debate alternative modes of financing for health care.

He said that the poor paid more but got less service in the present system. He stressed the need for an economical social health system with universal membership to provide adequate health coverage.

Religious scholars and health experts agreed on devising such a system in which registered member will pay according to their capacity and get health services according to their needs.

Chief Minister NWFP Akram Khan Durrani was the chief guest. Provincial Health Minister Inayataullah Khan, Senator Prof Khursheed Ahmad, Mufti Munibur Rehman, Mufti Ghulam Rehman, Qari Roohullah Madani and GTZ Advisor Dr Bernet attended the workshop.

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

Mufti Ghulam Rehman said that chalking out a cheap mechanism to ensure health facilities to patients was viable in the light of Islamic injunctions.

Khalid Rahman, director-general of the Institute of Policy Studies highlighted the characteristics of the proposed health insurance system. He elaborated that such funds should initially be formed with a limited number of registered members, bound to pay according to their paying capacity but allowed to get services according to their health needs.

He said that in the proposed system healthy people should pay for sick people and rich to asset the poor. He said that in the proposed system members would be free to have a choice of services. He cited that such social healthy system existed in Germany in its ideal form.

Dr Bernt Applet highlighted principles of the health system in Germany. He said that 350 statutory funds were currently providing 99.5 per cent coverage to its members. He said that under the system, universal membership was compulsory and employees paid 7 per cent of their income.

Similarly, he said that employers were also bound to pay seven per cent for the fund. He informed that overarching goal of the system was social harmony, solidarity, subsidy and provision of choice of medical services.

Chief Minister NWFP Mohammad Akram Khan Durrani assured the participants that provincial government would strive to implement their recommendations within its meagre resources.