Universal Health Coverage – A Hope for the People

Universal health coverage is program by which individuals living in poverty can get health facilities for free of cost. It uses a card which is provided to the person who is eligible for this program. One individual can get a treatment of rupees up to PKR 720,000. Additional PKR 300,000 can also be acquired by requesting the provincial government.

Benefits of Universal Health Coverage/Health Card

This health card has meaningful significance for majority of the people because most of the population is living under poverty.

1. It will have a huge impact on rural areas and people.
2. Firstly, people will have access to easy treatment at any hospital in the country.
3. Secondly, private hospitals will be developed in these areas.
4. Thirdly, as health is promoted, many lives could be saved through financial aid for those who deserve it.
5. Not only people in rural areas, but also those living in urban areas or the most developed cities, can benefit from this program if eligible.
6. Private sector hospitals will also benefit because this card is accepted at any hospital.
7. People will no longer need to borrow heavy loans for their treatments.
8. Every individual in a family with a valid National Identity card can benefit from this program.
9. Cardholders are not required to pay back the amount provided for spending on their health.

Current Status of Universal Health Coverage/Health Card

The registration has already begun in some rural areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Baluchistan, and Punjab. People are getting these cards every day.

History of Universal Health Coverage

It was started back in 2015 when the Chairman of PTI, Imran Khan (former Prime Minister of Pakistan), first announced it in the province of KPK, where his party was in government. 11% of people registered in the first phase.

In 2016, 41% of the people got registered, and in 2017, 55% of people were facilitated with this health insurance.

In 2018, when Imran Khan became the Prime Minister, he advised the ministers of KPK, Punjab, and Baluchistan to provide this health insurance to legal citizens. Unfortunately, Sindh does not believe in Health cards. So far, 10 billion rupees have been spent on free treatments.

When you apply for health insurance, you get PKR 60,000 upfront. You are also provided with 600,000 rupees for treatment. Some people say that you can get an additional PKR 300,000 rupees on request. Only certain hospitals accept this card. The list of hospitals can be downloaded from the official website of the “Sehat Program”.

Eligibility Check for universal Health Coverage

There are two methods by which you can check if you are eligible for this program.

Method 1

• Go to the official website of sehat sahulat program.
• Go to the Eligibility check page by clicking this link.
• Type in your 13 digits ID card number without dashes.
• Type in the Captcha code properly. Then click check.

Method 2

• This is quite simple and easy.
• You just need a mobile phone.
• Type your 13 digits CNIC and send it to 8500.
• You will get a reply confirming whether you are eligible for this program or not.

DISCLAIMER!

This information is collected from the official website of sehat sahulat program and other highly trusted and recognized websites. Before you apply, check for the latest and up-to-date information about this program as the policies could change from time to time.

Also, the amount can be varied from what we have mentioned here. So do proper research on this program by asking the officials or people who have already been benefited from this program. The easy way is to check from the official website and here’s the link: https://www.pmhealthprogram.gov.pk/