Peshawar(PR): The second phase of Health Insurance Scheme (Sehat-Sahulat-Program) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government formally launched extending its scope from four selected districts to the entire province and covering 50% percent its population. Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along with chairman PTI Imran Khan formally launched the second phase by giving a way health insurance card to a deserving family in a function held here on Wednesday. Initially the program was launched in four selected districts of the province including Kohat, Mardan, Malakand and Chitral with the financial assistance of German official bank KFW which has now been extended to the whole province after being included in the Annual Development Program of the Provincial government. The two years program will cost Rs. 5362.2 million and will be run as regular scheme through proper legislation. Under the program health insurance card will be issued to 1.8 million households through which eight individuals of the household will be entitled of free medical treatment up to Rs.540,000.
The program will thus benefit about 150 million people of the province. Free medical treatment facilities can be availed from designated private and public sector hospitals. The program, besides ensuring free medical treatment to the deserving population will also help reduce poverty ratio in the province. Premium for health insurance card is around Rs.1700/- for household which will be paid by the provincial government.
The services covered in the scheme will be the hospital services normally provided at the secondary and tertiary level such as Medicines, General Surgery, Gynea and Obstetrics, Opthomology and ENT etc.
Pre and post hospitalization care up to one day prior to hospitalization and up to five days from the date of discharge from the hospital shall be pent of the package rate. In case of expiry in hospital an amount of Rs. 10,000 will be paid as funeral charges will Rs.1000/ will be paid in case of pregnancy or delivery as travelling allowance under the health insurance scheme. The provincial government is also planning to provide health insurance facility to all the government servants of the province.
