Islamabad, Nov 12: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government plans to expand the Sehat Card Scheme by adding more public and private hospitals.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur directed authorities to hold a meeting for final approval of hospitals that meet the scheme’s quality standards. He gave these instructions while chairing a Health Department meeting on Monday, according to an official handout.
The meeting included Advisor to the Chief Minister on Health Ehtesham Ali, Additional Chief Secretary Ikramullah Khan, Secretary Health Syed Adeel Shah, and officials from the Health Department and its organizations, including the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Foundation and Sehat Card Plus.
They discussed adding more hospitals to the Sehat Card Scheme, outsourcing hospitals in remote areas, and reforms in the health sector. The meeting also reviewed financial dues of outsourced public hospitals in some districts. The chief minister directed the Finance Department to clear these dues quickly to resume healthcare services.
However, the meeting explored outsourcing more hospitals through the Health Foundation. The Health Department will present proposals for outsourcing under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model next month.
To make the outsourcing process simpler, the legal framework will be amended. A steering committee, led by the chief minister, will streamline the process.
The meeting also decided to provide free medicines to children with hemophilia in collaboration with Roche Pharmaceuticals. The cost will be equally shared by the provincial government and Roche. The chief minister highlighted efforts to strengthen basic healthcare centers.
“The outsourcing of hospitals under the PPP model has shown good results. The process will be improved to ensure quality healthcare for remote areas,” he said.
