Sehat Card
Pakistan has historically had low health results due to insufficient public health facilities, restricted access to and utilization of health services, unsatisfactory care, and inadequate public sector accountability. Most of Pakistan’s population lives in rural areas, where health metrics including the premature mortality rate, infant mortality rate, and maternal mortality ratios are among the worst. People cannot afford the high expense of private hospitals. That’s why they prefer to visit hospitals with low fees. They do not notice the poor sanitary condition of the hospital.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial government initially launched the “Sehat Sahulat Program (SSP),” or “Health Facility Program,” under the umbrella of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), in 2015. This was in accordance with the WHO’s recommendations on UHC.
The Sehat Sahulat Program (SSP) program is run in Pakistan by the State Life Insurance Corporation (SLIC). The government entirely funds it by paying a set premium per qualified family to the SLIC, who then oversees the registered users’ in-patient medical expenses. According to the agreements, the government will receive a return of 90% of any unused net premium at the conclusion of the three-year contract.
With recent extensions to Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, and Multan divisions and extra added extensions planned in Gujranwala and Sargodha by the end of March 2022, the program has rapidly spread throughout Punjab province, especially expanding the coverage to the southern region that has been underprivileged for a long time. By offering coverage to 30 million families in Punjab alone.
19 hospitals in Multan are giving treatment on Sehat Card. South Punjab Hospital is one of them. Sehat Sahulat Program (SSP) was approved in 2019. South Punjab Hospital is offering top-notch care but is not affordable to middle-income people now due to Sehat card they can afford the treatment. Patients have also increased due to the Sehat Sahulat Program. All the treatments will be cost-free for Sehat Card holders.
Recently South Punjab Hospital inaugurated the first ever cardiac surgery on Sehat Card. This surgery was performed by Dr. Syed Muhammad Ali Bukhari, consultant pediatric and adult congenital Heart Surgeon. It was completely free of cost.
South Punjab Hospital takes immense pleasure in the milestone and is eager to help others. South Punjab Hospital always tries to give high-quality services to everyone. Until now South Punjab Hospital has treated several patients on Sehat card and granted them better lives. It’s an institution that prides itself on providing excellent healthcare as a 24/7 full-service hospital.