PESHAWAR: The State Life Insurance Corporation on Saturday suspended free treatment in hospitals under the Sehat Card Plus programme citing non-payment of dues by the provincial government as the reason.

Adviser to the caretaker chief minister on health Prof Riaz Anwar Khanrequested the SLIC to resume services and continue benefiting patients at all empanelled hospitals, according to an official news release.

Prof Khan also instructed authorities to ensure payment of dues to the SLIC in “due course of time” and said the government was committed to the continuation of the scheme.

Free treatment of people in hospitals under the insurance programme has been suspended for the fourth time in the last seven months over the government’s failure to make payment to the corporation, the implementer of the social health protection initiative in the province.

State Life Insurance Corporation cites non-payment of dues by govt as reason

In a notification, the SLIC asked all hospitals empanelled for the Sehat Card Plus to stop admitting new patients under the programme immediately.

On Aug 22, too, it temporarily stopped free health services in hospitals except emergencyones.

However, free treatment was restored the next day after the government promised early payment of dues.

However, the government failed to keep the promise.

Sources said even emergency patients wouldn’t be entertained by hospitals under the Sehat Card Plus programme in line with the directions of the SLIC.

The Provincial Doctors’ Association has criticised the government after the frequent suspension of SCP programme and demanded removal of private hospitals from the initiative and directions for patients to go to government hospitals for free treatment.

In a statement, the PDA said there was no system of check and balance for the free insurance scheme, so most of the revenue generated by it went to private hospitals.

“Some private hospitals have been empanelled for the Sehat Card Plus despite lacking basic infrastructure but they receive a sizable amount from the programme. Of Rs52 billion spent on the scheme, Rs46 billion have gone to private health facilities,” it said.

The PDA said the government should immediately suspend the empanelment of 133 hospitals and a thorough probe should be conducted into the money they earned from the scheme.

It added that the Health Foundation, Healthcare Commission and Medical Teaching Institutions were responsible for doling out taxpayers’ money but there was no one to ask them.

“We demand of the government to strengthen public sector hospitals instead of giving away money to private hospitals to ensure standardised services for patients,” it said.

The association said only the private hospitals with facilities for the diseases, which weren’t available in government hospitals, should be included in the scheme.

It added that prior to the launch of the programme, most health services were available in public sector hospitals free of charge.

Meanwhile, government officials claimed that hospitals had been included in the panel of free health services under the Sehat Card Plus after complete assessment.

They said dozens of health facilities had been excluded over reports of patient mistreatment.

The officials said the number of government hospitals empaneled for the programme had been increasing causing their incomes to go up.

They said the government had to pay Rs18 billion to the SLIC, which was to give it away to empaneled hospitals.

The officials said the last PTI government initiated the free health insurance scheme covering three per cent population in four districts in 2016 and extended it to the entire province in Nov 2019 in phases.

They added that 2.3 million people had so far benefited from the SCP at 1,100 designated hospitals across the province.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2023