Around 300,000 residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have availed free medical treatment outside the province under the Sehat Card Plus (SCP) health insurance programme, highlighting the scheme’s growing nationwide reach. Official documents show beneficiaries sought care in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Islamabad, mainly due to employment-related stays or lack of specialised facilities at home.
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Since its launch in 2016, more than five million people have received treatment worth Rs150 billion under the SCP initiative. The programme allows patients holding KP-issued national identity cards to access cashless healthcare at around 700 empanelled hospitals across the country.
Of the total beneficiaries, nearly 294,300 individuals received treatment outside KP, with the largest number travelling to Punjab, followed by Islamabad and Karachi. The provincial government paid Rs1.229 billion to empanelled hospitals for these services, according to official records.
خیبرپختونخواہ کے پتے والے شناختی کارڈ کی وجہ سے چاروں صوبوں سمیت آزاد جموں کشمیر اور گلے بلتستان میں صحت کارڈ ہیلتھ انشورنس پر 3 لاکھ افراد نے اپنا علاج کروایا جا پر 1.2 ارب روپے کی لاگت آئی۔ pic.twitter.com/pNgTw7sJ7H
— Riaz ul Haq (@Riazhaq) December 24, 2025
Health department officials said many patients opted for treatment near their workplaces to avoid travel costs and disruption to family life. Others were referred outside the province for specialised procedures not yet available locally, particularly organ transplants.
Under the programme, 235 patients underwent free kidney transplants, 80 received liver transplants and 71 benefited from cochlear implants. Liver transplants, in particular, required patients to seek treatment outside KP due to the absence of local facilities.
Initially launched in 2015 for low-income populations in four districts, the health insurance scheme was gradually expanded to cover the entire province. Currently, around 11 million families — representing more than 33 million people — are entitled to free treatment up to Rs1 million per family annually.
Officials said hospitals in other provinces were empanelled in 2020 to further facilitate KP residents living or working elsewhere. The programme is implemented by the State Life Insurance Corporation, which ensures nationwide access for eligible patients.
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Women account for 54 per cent of beneficiaries, with cardiac care, general surgery, gynaecology and oncology among the most sought-after treatments. Authorities say the scheme has significantly reduced financial strain on families while improving access to essential healthcare services.