The Punjab government’s announcement to provide much-needed health cover to all the population of the province has raised the eyebrows of many critics. The mega program will reportedly cost Rs440 billion in three years.
Will this facility be provided to all people of the province including members of the assembly, officers, traders, businessmen, factory owners, property tycoons etc in Lahore and the province? Yes, all people will be eligible to get this facility by the end of March this year, answered several handout statements of Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, as issued by the Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR) department.
Starting from January 1, 2022, the entire population in the Lahore division is eligible to receive free healthcare treatment under Sehat Sahulat Program through “Naya Pakistan Qaumi Sehat Card”. It was declared during a ceremony duly attended by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Punjab Governor Ch Muhammad Sarwar, Buzdar, a provincial minister and health secretaries.
Why is this facility being extended to all people including rich businessmen, bureaucrats, traders, property tycoons and industrialists? When state-run hospitals and health departments have been consuming major funds, why have many private hospitals been put on this program panel?
What is the future of regular health programs i.e. government hospitals etc., how will treatment standards at private hospitals be ensured? What will be the fate of public sector hospitals and doctors there?
What is the mechanism to monitor mala fide treatments in private hospitals and enhanced rates for cures?
Is there any check of misuse of the facility by the private hospitals and fictitious patients?
When the much-trumpeted Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has failed to bring any change in the society and massive embezzlements like amounts illegally drawn by government officers and rich, how can the right use of this facility be ensured?
Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid, Secretary Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi and Punjab Health Facilities Management Company (PHFMC) CEO Dr Ali Razzaq were reached for comment, but nobody bothered to respond. Later, queries were sent on their mobile phones but there was no response.
BISP, as many say, was proved another big political stunt but has been continued by consecutive governments. This has shown that governments have little ability to protect public money or revise their decisions.
A deputy secretary of the Health Department said: “We have proposed this facility for those who earn less than 50,000 per month.” But, later, this is a political decision that they decided to extend it to all. He said, currently, the underprivileged population inclusive of the poor, differently-abled persons and transgender community from 25 Punjab districts are eligible for the program, while all those living in 11 districts of Lahore, Dera Ghazi Khan and Sahiwal divisions are eligible to receive healthcare facilities through Sehat Sahulat Program (SSP).
When a director of the Punjab government sent his CNIC number on 8500, it confirmed that him along with all the family members are eligible for treatment under the program. The officer has been drawing over 150,000 salary besides other perks like staff car, petrol, maintenance, official residence, and special allowance. He is a regular employee with all retirement amusements.
Dr Umar while talking about this program said that it was a good one. The Punjab government will pay premium while the treatment expenses will be paid by the insurance company. He said that besides proper publicity of this milestone program there are many questions that must be answered by the concerned. He said that health insurance and the health system must be explained in detail. However, he questioned who will ensure the standard of treatment being provided to common people in the private hospitals. What would be the mechanism to check fake and fictitious patients and medicines under this giant program?
Earlier, a good number of work-dodgers in the public sector used to practice fictitiously to avail sick leaves and now the SSP will also possibly pay them to enjoy at the state’s expense. When a good number of people were privileged like bureaucrats, businessmen and other professionals why were they included in this program, he questioned.
A Punjab Health Care Commission official said that the commission had provided a list of private hospitals registered with it. It is the duty of the company to execute and monitor the SSP, he asserted.
