PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak on Tuesday approved the recommendations of the working group on the health insurance scheme for the public sector employees of the province. Under the scheme, 433.000 employees of the public sector would be given an option for the healthcare facilities under health insurance card.
This was decided in a high level meeting held at Chief Minister Secretariat Peshawar. The CM presided the meeting attended by Secretary Health Abid Majeed, Head of Strategic Support Unit Sahibzada Saeed, Principal Secretary to CM Muhammad Israr Khan and others.
The participants of the meeting were briefed about offering the health insurance facility for the healthcare of public sector employees, its objectives, impacts, the scope of work and the possible cost of the scheme. Different recommendations came for approval in the meeting. The meeting was told about the possible cost effective mechanism at administrative and operational level.
The meeting was further informed that under the scheme, there would be a uniform approach for all the employees of public sector. Presently the medical attendants rule covers 40% class IV employees, 75 % under grade-16 but because of the inefficient processing and minimal accountability, the utilisation process is increasing problems. The referral cases, pre-payment and post reimbursement were some of the complications that were discussed. There was no uniformity in the system for resolving problems.
The scheme will be transparent and durable and suggests two packages for the social health protection. The first package would accept Rs 28,820, monthly Rs 2400 and the other package would be worth Rs 9600 constituting Rs 800 per month.
The CM was presented different recommendations under the health insurance cards for the public sector employees extending efficient healthcare through a unanimous formula. Khattak agreed to the extension of health card to the public sector employees, hoping that it would extend a uniform health response to all the public sector employees by the government.
The CM also directed for a transparent mechanism for extension of efficient healthcare to the employees of public sector through health insurance card, the premium should be linked to the grade of the employees, he added. He directed for the wider publicity of offering the healthcare insurance card to the employees so that they could make an option which suits them.