PM launches Sehat Insaf Cards to provide free treatment to tribal patients

PESHAWAR, Feb 15 (APP):Prime Minister Imran Khan here Friday launched gigantic ‘Sehat Insaf Cards (SIC)’
program to provide free treatment facilities to patients of merged tribal
districts of erstwhile Fata in any top paneled Govt and private hospitals of
the country.
The Prime Minister distributed Sehat Insaf Cards (SIC) among poor
tribesmen including widows, orphans, persons with disabilities and senior
citizens during a special ceremony here at Governor House.
Governor Khyber Pakthunkhwa Shah Farman, Chief
Minister Mahmood Khan, Federal Minister for Health Services Aamir Mehmood
Kiayani, Advisor to Prime Minister on Establishment Arbab Muhammad Shahzad,
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Media Affairs Iftikhar Durrani and
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Naeemul Haq besides
provincial ministers, advisors and lawmakers from tribal districts attended the event.
Federal Secretary for Health Services briefed
the Prime Minister about salient features of the Sehat Insaf Cards and informed
that it was a three years project that will cost about Rs55 billion.
Keeping in view of its enormous success in KP, the government has decided
to extend this inclusive program to tribal districts where family of each beneficiary
will avail free treatment up-to Rs7,20,000 annually in any top paneled govt. and private
hospitals of the country. More than one million families in tribal districts would be facilitated
from this mega program of the government.
He said this program is for poor people of all seven tribal districts and free treatment process will start from Khyber and Bajaur from tomorrow on pilot basis.
Except transplant cases, Bajaur, Mohmand,
Khyber, North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Kurram and Orakzai districts
patients would now avail free treatment soon after being diagnosed with fatal
ailments such as cancer, kidney, heart, hepatitis, medical or surgical
operations etc in top Govt and private paneled hospitals of Pakistan and their
free treatment will continue till their complete recovery.
At time of discharge of a patient, free medicines would be provided to each
beneficiary for five days besides Rs1000 for transportation and Rs10,000 for
burial purposes in case of death.
The program covers patients of all age groups,
starting from birth of a child to a senior citizen and both male and female are
eligible to use this facility for indoor treatment at any paneled Govt and private
hospital in Pakistan.
A household beneficiary consists of at least eight people including family head,
his spouse and up to five children and one elderly dependent person in case number
of children is less than five.
The beneficiaries will continue their indoor treatment in hospitals without facing
financial constraints of payment of doctors and laboratories’ fees, medicines and surgical
operations till their full recovery.
In the past poor patients have sold even their houses and precious land for treatment
of their loved ones in case diagnosed with serious ailments like cancer, hepatitis, bones,
lungs or brains operations.
The program is being implemented with the help of State Life of Pakistan and all beneficiaries
were enrolled with the help of Benazir Income Support Program’s survey list. The
Secretary said cards are distributed among deserving families strictly on merit
and efforts would be made that no deserving family deprive of the facility.