With the PTI government no longer in power, Pakistanis signed up for the Sehat Card service have been worried sick at the chance of the service being discontinued due to a change in those running the government.
In a post gone viral on Instagram, a Lahore-based doctor narrated a heart-breaking incident at the emergency ward he was working at from the night before the original day of voting on the no-confidence motion against Khan, April 3, 2021.
“In the rear holding bay of our ER, I found this patient, a 50 yr old man, who had been admitted into Neurology but he wasn’t shifted yet. […] I went back to the counter and asked what options did we have for this family. And I got told there’s only one option. ‘The Sehat Sahoolat Insaf Health Card’ but it only gets activated in the morning.”
The doctor then assured the patient’s son that they can stay in the hospital till the card gets activated but he came up with a concern if the card would still be accepted the next day [the day of voting when Imran Khan was initially expected to be dismissed].
But Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) has given the public an assurance that a regime change won’t affect the medical facilitation being provided under the Sehat Saholat Programme, an initiative by the PTI-led government.
In a statement on Twitter, the healthy ministry rubbished all the fears and speculations about the fate of the Sehat Card facility.
All hospitals empanelled with Sehat Sahulat Programme across Pakistan continue to provide free of cost hospitalization services to all citizens as per agreement. pic.twitter.com/BLtaNQ1CT6
— Ministry of National Health Services, Pakistan (@nhsrcofficial) April 9, 2022
The health ministry also tweeted out a list of hospitals you can go to if you want to avail the facility.
The following empaneled hospitals will continue to provide Sehat Sahulat card services. Please call our helpline at 080009009 or reach out to the Sehat Sahulat Programme desk at the hospital for assistance if you face any challenges.
List of Hospitals: https://t.co/bctGC8D2qe
— Ministry of National Health Services, Pakistan (@nhsrcofficial) April 13, 2022