The State Life Insurance Company has stopped the payment of claims to public sector hospitals under the Sehat Card which will greatly reduce the revenue of these hospitals including medical teaching institute (MTI) hospitals across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Official sources told The Express Tribune that, due to a shortage of funds, these public sector hospitals are finding it hard to even purchase medicines and provide free treatment to patients.
They said that in the coming days it will be very difficult to provide treatment to patients on the Sehat Card as well.
“A formal letter has been sent to the chief of the Social Health Protection Initiative by the insurance company in which the company has taken the stance that the dues under the Sehat Card had touched the Rs30 billion mark and the claims would only be paid if the provincial government released funds to the insurance company,” said an official, adding that the insurance company had demanded that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government release at least Rs10 billion in funds so that MTI hospitals could be paid their claims.
“On September 3, the insurance company had informed the provincial government that if the government failed to pay its dues then the company would not be able to pay claims,” he added.
An official of the health department told The Express Tribune that due to the non-payment of Rs2 billion in claims by the insurance company, Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) had been forced to arrange medicines through local purchase.
“The largest health facility of this province, LRH, has to pay a local pharmacy millions of rupees and the pharmacy has now stopped the provision of medicines to the hospital,” he noted, adding that LRH lacked funds even to pay its employees.
“Consultants at LRH who treat patients under the Sehat Card have been without medicines and other items and their share has also been stopped a long time ago, forcing many consultants to leave the hospital,” he disclosed.
In addition, the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) has been waiting to receive Rs900 million in claims but the insurance company has stopped the payment of money for the claims. The HMC has been using old funds to buy medicines but that stock has now been almost completely exhausted after which patients would not be provided free medicines.
“For some procedures, medicines are provided by the hospital while patients have to buy other medicines themselves. The hospital administration has now decided to limit the provision of medicines to its regular patients as well because of the non-payment of funds by the government,” he added.
HMC has now also started an awareness campaign to inform patients that the hospital lacked funds but the unavailability of medicines still results in verbal fights each day.
Similarly, Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) has not received any funds since June this year and the hospital is still awaiting Rs500 million in funds from the government.
“KTH has been able to arrange medicines through suppliers but it is already in debt and unable to pay the suppliers,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 8th, 2023.
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