APP
PESHAWAR
As part of its priorities to ensure provision of best and free of charge healthcare facilities to people across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the provincial government of PTI among other initiatives earmarked a record hefty amount of Rs 124 billion in its current fiscal budget and expended the sphere of Sehat Insaf Card to the entire province.
As per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan and reform agenda of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, the provincial government allocated Rs24.4 billion for health-related development schemes, of which Rs 13.8 billion would be spent in the settled districts and Rs 10.6 billion in the merged districts.
The key feature of KP government with regard to provision of healthcare facilities was Sehat Insaf Card, which provided a sigh of relief for those unable to bear the costly medical expenditures in case of major health issues.
The flagship program is a milestone towards social welfare reforms; ensuring that the identified under-privileged citizens across the province may get access to their entitled medical healthcare in a swift and dignified manner without any financial obligation.
Till date, the Sehat Insaf Card covers around 40 percent of the deserving population and will soon provide medical cover to all families across the province as the Prime Minister Imran Khan Thursday launched the initiative. This program has no precedent in the entire country and people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were lucky to have health coverage upto Rs1 million at public and private hospitals in the province.
According to Health Minister, Taimur Saleem Jhagra KP would become the first province where the entire population would get access to the best health services. “Each family will get a Sehat Insaf card to avail free treatment at the designated public and private hospitals. The programme also covers government employees in the provincial departments,” he said.
The KP government, while enhancing the capacity of the province’s biggest hospital, constructed additional wards in the Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar as per growing number of patients. An important project of Peshawar Institute of Cardiology was also completed to provide the best treatment facility to cardiac patients.
Besides up-gradation of hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and carrying out numerous other projects in the health sector , a momentous task for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was also to provide healthcare facilities to the people of newly merged districts at par with the settled districts.
The KP government created 1,000 vacancies for various health service delivery services in a bid to improve the health service delivery system in these areas.
With concentrated efforts significant progress was made in strengthening various public sector hospitals and provision of necessary equipment and medicines to hospitals in merged areas.
The creation of new vacancies for the hospitals, recruitment against the already created vacancies and various other initiatives were launched under the Accelerated Implementation Plan. The recruitment process against the newly created vacancies had been started and in addition, over 1,100 additional vacancies will be created in the next phase. Overall more than 2,300 new vacancies would be created for strengthening the health sector in the merged districts.
Regarding the approved projects for in health sector in merged districts, the schemes included the upgrading of the DHQ Hospital Khaar in Bajaur from Category B to A, DHQ Hospital Parachinar in Kurrum from Category C to B, establishment of Category D Hospital at Sub-division Darra, the establishment of Thalassemia Centre at DHQ Hospital at Miraanshah, the establishment of hospital and medical college in South Waziristan and establishment of category B hospital in Orakzai
The chief minister by taking personal interest in improvement of health facilities had directed the officials of the Health Department to expedite the recruitment process against the vacancies and up-gradation of the hospitals in merged districts.
The health department has also allocated an amount for 72 old and 44 new schemes in the budget that also included a new medical college in Charsadda and dental college at Saidu Teaching Hospital Swat.
Taking another unprecedented step the KP government proposed the first-ever bone marrow transplant centre Khyber Medical University with a cost of Rs150 million whereas Rs25 million has been proposed for the treatment for diabetes and hypertension at the level of primary healthcare facilities on an experimental basis.
At district level the healthcare development schemes also included up-gradation of district headquarters hospital Lakki Marwat, construction of women and children hospital in Shabqadar Charsadda, building of second phase of women and children hospital Swabi besides up-gradation of services and facilities at rural health centre Jolagram, type D hospital Sar Qila Buner, tehsil headquarters hospital Shangla, construction of children hospital Swat, reconstruction of Bari Kot district hospital in Swat and establishment of emergency and trauma centre in Matta, Swat.
The KP government has spent heavy amounts on completion of three major schemes, including blood transfusion facilities and expanded program on immunization and integrated health services delivery program.
According to budgetary document a hefty amount would be spent on improvement of healthcare facilities at Peshawar Institute of Cardiology, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Lady Reading Hospital, Institute of Kidney Diseases and Fountain House Peshawar.
The KP people were also being facilitated through a free cancer treatment program and over 1,000 patients every year who come to the facility who couldn’t afford the costly medicines and diagnostic services.
The KP government was also upgrading all first level healthcare facilities to ensure treatment of people at their native areas besides establishment of new rural health centers and basic health units. The government also spent hefty amounts on solarization of RHCs and BHUs to provide uninterrupted power supply to these health units.
Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has issued clear directives for completion of new projects in the health sector including on the Peshawar Institute of Cardiology and new trauma blocks in various hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He has also announced a comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme for government employees.
