The Caretaker Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Azam Khan has stated that health card scheme is a good public welfare programme and can be further improved by removing the flaws. He emphasized the need to ensure that maximum benefits of the programme reach the people. He expressed these view during chaired a meeting to improve health card scheme in KP. He chaired a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the progress of the health card scheme in the province.
The meeting was attended by several officials, including the Advisor to the Chief Minister on Health, the Secretary Finance, and the Project Director of the Health Card Scheme. During the meeting, it was revealed that the health card scheme is benefiting 97 lakh (970000) families in the province by providing free treatment facilities in both private and government hospitals. The scheme is costing Rs 28 billion annually and has included 1139 hospitals at private and public levels in its panel.
To improve the functioning of the health card scheme and remove the existing loopholes, a committee of health experts will be formed. The committee will suggest short-term and long-term measures to enhance the programme, and proposals for short-term measures will be presented to the caretaker government only. Meanwhile, long-term measures will be proposed to the next government.
The committee will also make recommendations to improve service delivery in hospitals in rural areas. The caretaker Chief Minister stated that the health card scheme is a good public welfare programme and can be further improved by removing the flaws. He emphasized the need to ensure that maximum benefits of the programme reach the people. The Chief Minister directed officials to submit a report regarding the utilization of funds allocated for the repair of hospitals. It was revealed that the health card scheme is benefiting 97 lakh (970000) families in the province by providing free treatment facilities in both private and government hospitals.
