The Sehat Insaf Card—one of the flagship projects of the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)—continues to be a remarkable initiative that is helping millions of poor patients with critical medical needs during these testing times. It has been announced that the KP health department is set to sign contracts with two private hospitals for free liver transplant of the residents of the province. As per reports, the health department is also planning to include Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre for free medication of all kinds of cancer under the Sehat Sahulat Programme.
Once the rates are finalised and this agreement goes through, patients with damaged livers would be able to undergo a cashless transplant in both the health facilities. Since its launch in 2015, the programme has grown considerably as it started off with covering only three percent of the population in four designated districts of KP. Today, the KP government is offering the provision of free health coverage—covering all major diseases—to the entire population of the province and has thus far treated 6,030,000 patients under the programme.
This is an incredible achievement considering how such complex medical procedures will be done for free, and this will be even more of a game-changer for those living below the poverty line. Even for average-income families, bearing the expenditure of laboratory tests, x-rays, CT scans, medicines and hospital charges is something inconceivable. A few years ago, this would have appeared to be an impossible task; the government in KP deserves all the credit and more for accomplishing this.
Inadequate health coverage—especially for the most vulnerable amongst us—is a country-wide issue. The KP government however has set a precedent for other provinces to follow as improving access to healthcare is going to be significant for Pakistan to achieve its development goals going forward. This milestone achievement must be built upon so that the underprivileged across the country can avail modern-day healthcare facilities.
