LAHORE: Accusing a fraudster ‘mafia’ of making billions through misuse of Health Card facility actually meant for the poor patients, Punjab caretaker Health Minister Dr Javed Akram has announced that onwards the Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) will be used to avail the healthcare insurance services under the scheme.
Dr Akram announced this at a joint presser with caretaker information minister Aamir Mir, in the backdrop of some reports that the free cardiac treatment under the Health Card scheme was being stopped in private hospitals of the province.
Giving a clarification on the issue, Mr Mir said the health card scheme was originally introduced in 2015 during the tenure of then premier Nawaz Sharif for poor and deserving patients. However, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government extended the facility to all.
He said as everybody was allowed to benefit from the scheme, without income criteria, a ‘mafia’ swung into action to take advantage of the situation. As a result, the bill of each private hospital listed for providing treatment under the scheme, amounted to hundreds of millions of rupees, he lamented.
The minister asked how a person paying Rs8,000 monthly phone bill and over Rs100,000 in electricity bills could be considered poor, adding that such people must also pay for their treatment.
He said the scheme will be revamped in a way that it actually helps the poor and deserving people.
Highlighting discrepancies in the scheme, Dr Javed Akram said bogus heart surgeries were performed under the health insurance facility.
“The health card facility was massively misused. People became billionaires because of corruption in Sehat Card,” he revealed, adding that many hospitals reported a shortage of stents due to unnecessary heart procedures under the scheme, causing the government to import more cardiac stents.
Rejecting reports of suspension of cardiac treatment under the scheme, the minister said the interim government was ensuring uninterrupted access of the patients to these services.
He also disclosed that a new contract is being negotiated with the State Life Insurance Company to provide enhanced facilities to the public through the health card programme.
