Sehat Card programme faces risk of closure in Punjab

The State Life Insurance Company on Thursday threatened to close the Sehat Card programme over non-payment of dues worth Rs83 billion.

State Life Insurance, a state-owned insurance company, has threatened to shut down the ground-breaking Sehat Card program, which was introduced by the PTI government and has escalated the conflict between it and Punjab Health Feasibility Company.

The State Life Insurance Company threatened to end the scheme as of April 1 unless the outstanding Rs83 billion in debt was paid.

The letter also noted that although the Sehat Card scheme had a 125 billion rupee budget, the insurance company had only received 31 billion rupees at the time.

LHC moved against closure of Sehat Card programme

Ali Razzaq, the CEO of the Punjab Health firm, has given the insurance firm assurances regarding the release of pending funds.

The PTI government introduced the programme to offer low-income and poor households free medical services, and it covers medical expenses up to Rs 1 million annually.

The PTI's Sehat programme was first introduced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in 2016 and later expanded to include Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab, and the country's capital in 2021.