PESHAWAR: Authorities have pinned hopes on approval of a new PC-I for release of funds from Accelerated Implementation Programme to continue free medication of people on Sehat Card Plus (SCP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and newly-merged districts.

In October last year, State Life Insurance Corporation (SLIC) restricted free health scheme to only emergency patients due to lack of funding by the government. Prior to this, the scheme covered the entire population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

SLIC, the implementer of SCP in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been facing financial issues as the caretaker government has not been releasing its outstanding amount. The insurer wants the government to release its Rs20 unpaid amount in lieu of treatment of people under the programme. Owing to non-payment of the amount, it has been stopping and resuming health services and of late free treatment was restricted to only cancer, dialysis and emergency patients that drastically reduced the number of patients availing cashless services.

The number of beneficiaries of SCP, which used to be 120,000 per month, continues to dip after limiting services to emergency patients only. In October 2023, the number of people receiving free health services was recorded 21,000. It was reduced to 20,000 in November and December each while per month expenses remained about Rs280 million per month.

Health dept has submitted new Sehat Card PC-I to AIP

This situation prompted the health department to seek funds from Accelerated Implementation Programme (AIP) to continue full-fledged free treatment services. A PC-I was submitted to PDWP, seeking Rs9 billion for SCP but it wasn’t discussed in the last meeting held a week ago. It is likely to be on the agenda in the next meeting. Authorities are hopeful that the PC-I will be approved and the department is likely to get the required funds.

Sources said that AIP was meant to provide funds to tribal districts after their merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Last year, the province spent Rs4.5 billion on the treatment of residents of tribal districts and a similar amount was required for the current year. If the department received Rs4.5 billion from AIP that would be given to SLIC to continue the programme for covering the entire population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the dwellers of the tribal districts.

Sources said that it had been agreed during the previous PTI government in Islamabad that the centre-run Sehat Sahulat Programme would provide free treatment services to the residents of tribal districts till June 2023 and after that they would be covered under SCP of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, the residents of tribal districts were shifted to SCP in June 2022 but liabilities weren’t shifted as had been agreed in a meeting held with former prime minister Imran Khan in the chair.

Therefore, the SCP should get the amount from AIP for 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years, they said.

Sources said that funds were available in AIP and if the PC-I was approved then SCP would get Rs9 billion that would pave the way for resumption of the programme, covering the whole population of the province. But in case of non-approval of PC-I or lack of funds with AIP, the programme would suffer further, they added.

Since limiting the programme to emergency patients, the people have been availing free health services services only in divisional headquarters where cancer and dialysis services are available.

Sources said that SLIC, which was required to make payments to empanelled hospitals on monthly basis, would resume services even if it got Rs4 billion in one go but it received only Rs4 billion during the last six months, making it difficult for the former to pay to the hospitals.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2024