- Relief for the poor
Health is as a fundamental human right. For a nation to prosper, everyone must have access to quality healthcare. Healthy people make a healthy nation; good health allows children to learn and adults to earn, and play their role in the social and economic development of a country.
In the developing countries, the health budget is considered as an investment instead of an expenditure. The developed countries have ensured provision of healthcare for all under the blanket of the health insurance system; the expenses of which are borne by either the government or social security departments.
In Pakistan, people are afraid of falling ill; accounting less for the disease and more for the financial burden it brings. The patient’s family has to face financial consequences in addition. Unexpected illness drags the poor into the pit of borrowing, forcing them assets sell outs and spend lifetime savings.
People will have peace of mind that the well-being of their families is taken care of. Healthy people will shape a healthy society which will boost financial and social activities
The provision of quality healthcare to the public is the foremost responsibility of the state. Fortunately, Punjab has a Health Minister who was a top medical professional. Dr. Yasmin Raashid has correctly measured the pulse of healthcare service delivery and introduced Sehat Insaf Card to transform the existing healthcare system.
Approximately 7.2 million families consisting of 32 million people below the poverty line will benefit initially. Anyone earning less than $2 (Rs 300) per day will be entitled to benefit. The scheme covers approximately 30 percent of the population of Punjab at present with a scope to cover the entire population in the next few years.
Initially, the scheme has been announced only for the marginalized. Therefore, the data of National Socio Economic Registry (NSER) has been utilized for registration of deserving people; which is further verified by NADRA for transparency.
The Sehat Insaf Card provides comprehensive cover to beneficiaries, and holders will be entitled to free-of-cost hospitalization, emergency services, in-patient services (all medical and surgical cases), fractures/injuries, referral transportation, maternity services and free follow-ups. In addition to the secondary care services, eight major diseases will be also covered under priority cover package, including cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, burns and road traffic accidents, last-stage renal diseases and dialysis’, chronic diseases (TB,Hep A/B/C, HIV, chronic liver disease), organ failure, oncology and neurosurgical services.
The card holder may get treatment worth up to Rs 720,000 annually. That Rs 720,000 can be further topped up if needed. If a card holder or his family member gets any major disease which is expensive, then the treatment won’t be stopped due to exhaustion of insurance amount, but the government can provide a further Rs 360,000 per family per annum and get the treatment completed.
Apart from the medical facilities, the Card provides support in transportation also. The transportation cost of Rs 1,000 will be paid to per family per visit. Another valued feature is the provision of burial support. If a patient dies while admitted, burial support of Rs 10,000 will be paid to the bereaved family.
Another feature is the inclusion of both public and private hospitals on the panel list. Before this scheme the poor could not even imagine going to private hospitals, but now they can confidently walk into these hospitals and avail treatment. To ensure quality treatment, hospitals with adequate medical facilities have been taken on the panel. 111 hospitals are empaneled till now.
The Sehat Insaf Card will improve service delivery in public sector hospitals. As the treatment in government hospitals is either free or low-cost, the patient load is immense. With a lot of patients, these hospitals fail to provide adequate services which results in referrals and complaints. The Sehat Insaf Card has unlocked choices for the public, as they can opt for any empaneled hospital, government or private. The inclusion of private hospitals will reduce the burden on public sector hospitals and this will result in an inevitable improvement of quality.
The implementation of this scheme has been started. In the first phase, Sehat Insaf Cards have been introduced in 23 districts, but the project will soon be extended to all 36 districts. The distribution of Sehat Insaf Cards under the Sehat Sahulat Program is a great initiative. Pakistan has not seen such schemes at this scale. Now people with low incomes won’t be deprived of treatment.
The facility of Sehat Insaf Card is by no means less than the health insurance provided in developed countries. Treatment will not be denied to any patients for lack of money. It will be provided by the government.
The federal government has launched Sehat Insaf Card scheme in the country. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had introduced Sehat Insaf Card scheme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during its last term. The implementation of health cards garnered widespread success there previously and now this facility is being provided to the poor population of Punjab also.
The Sehat Insaf Card is going to be a game changer in the health sector of Punjab. It will put an end to the suffering of poor and marginalized people by allowing them to get timely treatment in standard hospitals with dignity. The poor people who used to struggle for the treatment of their dear ones won’t have to beg in front of anyone, no one will have to trade their self-esteem, and no mother will have to sell the assets of the home to treat her child. The poor will have equal access to the health facilities.
With a sense of security, people will have peace of mind that the well-being of their families is taken care of. Healthy people will shape a healthy society which will boost financial and social activities. The country will progress according to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision. He is optimistic about gaining Pakistan a dignified place in the world. He envisions a new Pakistan where justice is for all, where health is for all. A Pakistan liberated from poverty, disease, unemployment and illiteracy.
Let us keep our fingers crossed that one day Pakistan will achieve the dream of quality healthcare for all. Sehat Insaf Card is only the first step, albeit giant one, towards this goal.
