PESHAWAR: Caretaker Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mohammad Azam Khan on Thursday said that his government was facing difficulties in clearing dues of the State Life Insurance Company for the Sehat Card health insurance scheme due to a delay in the provision of funds by the federal government.

“The provincial government is facing financial crunch due to non-payment of due shares by the federal government on time, and that’s why the provincial government is facing difficulties in paying the dues to State Life Insurance Company,” the chief minister told a meeting on the Sehat Card Scheme at the CM House here, according to an official statement.

The meeting was also attended by adviser to the chief minister on health Dr Riaz Anwar, provincial chief secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, chief executive officer of the State Life Insurance Company and other relevant officials.

The participants discussed matters related to the implementation of reforms approved by the provincial cabinet to run the health insurance scheme on a sustainable basis and payment of dues to the implementing partners, including State Life Insurance Company.

“The meeting agreed that in future, payment will be made to the State Life Insurance Company in regular monthly installments,” the statement read, adding that emergency surgeries under the Sehat Card Scheme won’t be suspended “in any case.”

The chief minister directed authorities to ensure the implementation of the newly-approved health reforms in the minimum possible time.

He said that his government was committed to running the Sehat Card Scheme on a sustainable basis and was taking concrete steps to that effect.

Mr Khan said that despite financial issues, it was the top most priority of the caretaker government to continue the provision of free healthcare to the people under the Sehat Card Scheme.

He said that all possible efforts were being made by the government to make the health insurance scheme more pro-poor and sustainable.

The chief minister said that health reforms were meant to provide maximum relief to the underprivileged segments of society.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2023