The Sehat Card will no longer cover full treatment of heart patients in the private hospitals of Punjab, State Life Insurance Corporation stated on Saturday.

The patients will now be required to pay 30% of the total cost of surgery, it added.

“The government of Punjab through Punjab Health Initiative Management Company is working to introduce a 30% per cent copayment mechanism for the patients seeking cardiology and cardiac surgery services at private panel hospitals under Sehat Sahulat Programme”, a letter by the Health and Accidental Division Office head Muhammad Ashar said.

He requested all the private panel hospitals to restrict services, including Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery with effect from July 1, 2023 for the permanent residents of Punjab as identified by State Life’s MIS.

“As per the advice of the Government of Punjab, State Life will not be able to process the claim, resulting from those set of treatment after the mentioned date,” Ashar said, adding: “The said services for beneficiaries of permanent residents of KP, ICT, AJK, GB and Tharparkar would remain intact”.

‘Cardiology facilities will be covered on health card in govt hospitals’

“Cardiology facilities through Sehat Card will continue uninterrupted in all government hospitals of Punjab,” said caretaker health minister of Punjab Javed Akram.

He claimed that the government was going to enter into a new contract with the Punjab State Life Insurance Company.

More improvements were being made to provide more facilities to the people of Punjab through health cards, Akram added.

“Sehat Cards are neither closing nor limiting cardiology facilities,” he said, adding that the interim government wanted to deliver the health care benefits to the original beneficiaries.