PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has decided to include the treatment of three major transplant procedures — kidney, liver, and bone marrow — under its Sehat Card Plus programme.
Additionally, the cost of cochlear implants will also be fully covered by the government.
The decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister of K-P. Provincial In-formation Adviser Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said the government would now provide transplant and implant services completely free of cost, marking a major expansion of the health insurance scheme.
“This is another revolutionary step in line with the founding chairman’s vision,” stated Barrister Saif, referring to the PTI’s healthcare reforms.
He added that services under this programme would be accessible to eligible citizens without any fi-nancial burden.
The provincial health department has been instructed to implement these changes immediately. The government also plans to soon include rehabilitation services for drug-addicted individuals under the Sehat Card.
In a parallel development, the K-P government approved regulations allowing the use of cannabis plants for medical, research, and industrial purposes.
Earlier, K-P government launched free Outpatient Department (OPD) services under the Sehat Card Plus scheme. The initiative was officially inaugurated by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur during a cer-emony held at the Chief Minister House.
The OPD scheme began as a pilot project in the Mardan district, where it was initially rolled out to ben-efit 50,000 deserving households.
The project was expected to expand in the second phase to Chitral, Malakand, and Kohat districts, eventually reaching around 120,000 deserving households in these areas, based on data from the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP). –Agencies
