Patients refused life-saving treatments

PESHAWAR:

For the household struggling to accommodate food, housing, utility bills and children’s education within their limited monthly budgets, healthcare is often neglected and spending on treatments is minimal, however, when a beloved family member diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, the unavailability of free treatment costs can quickly push any affected family into bankruptcy.

For example, Shahid Khan, a 25-year-old native of Charsadda, had brought his ailing father for treatment at the Peshawar Heart Institute. “My father has a heart condition and the doctors have suggested that angioplasty is the most suitable treatment for him. However, I was asked by the hospital to immediately deposit Rs 150,000 for the stent,” said a frustrated Khan, who further replied that paying taxes was pointless when the money could not be used to save the lives of the needy.

“There is no way my budget can save that much money right away. At this point in time, I was forced to decide between giving away all my money and losing my father to this disease,” Khan cried.

However, Shahid Khan was not the only citizen to face such a heartbreaking choice as thousands of other low-income families in KP faced a similar plight after the caretaker government stopped Sehat Card Plus services in public and private hospitals.

Reading HIV patients escape diagnosis in CP

According to Raza Khan, a social worker, Sehat Card Plus was a revolutionary scheme as it aimed to provide free treatment to all patients in every private and government hospital.

“However, recently lack of funding to credit dues to an insurance company has led to curtailment of free services in hospitals such as Lady Reading Hospital, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex and Peshawar Cardiology Hospital, which have started they deny treatments for cancer and other chronic diseases and provide only emergency care,” Khan said.

“Furthermore, earlier the program had a budget of Rs 28 billion and covered more than seventy percent of the population of KP, but now its budget has been reduced to Rs 8 billion and only 20,000 patients are receiving free treatment. The government has to pay Rs 24 billion to the insurance company and the late minister had agreed to give Rs 2 billion every month, but due to lack of funds, the dues could not be cleared and services have been curtailed,” confirmed Khan, who further informed that the insurance company has provided medical cover worth Rs 2 billion to Lady Reading Hospital, Rs 1.5 billion to Peshawar Heart Institute, Rs 600 million to Hayatabad Medical Complex, Rs 500 million to Khyber Teaching Hospital and more than Rs 400 million to regional hospitals.

“It is a shame that the government has the funds to cover protocol expenses worth millions of rupees but cannot afford to pay for the free treatment of poor people,” Khan criticized.

Speaking to the Express Tribune on the matter, Ahmad Rasool Bangash, KP Finance Minister said, “The caretaker government wishes to release the funds to the concerned insurance company soon so that the free treatment scheme can continue.”