Free treatment for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's coronavirus patients with Sehat Card Plus: Taimur Jhagra

• KP Health Minister Taimur Jhagra says coronavirus patients will be treated free of charge in both public and select private sector hospitals if they have a Sehat Card.
• KP minister assures everyone that provincial government is trying its "best to ease the pain of as many as possible".
• The confirmation came a week after the minister had announced that the Sehat Card programme will cover coronavirus treatment.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Taimur Jhagra announced on Monday that the coronavirus patients of the province will "now be treated free of charge" with the Sehat Card Plus.

"COVID patients in Pakhtunkhwa now treated free of charge under Sehat Card Plus, in both public & select private sector hospitals," tweeted Jhagra, who also holds the finance portfolio in the KP government.

The provincial minister assured everyone that in the middle of the "difficult pandemic", the KP government is trying its "best to ease the pain of as many as possible".

Anwar Hospital in Swat will start its coverage from today and Waseem Medical Complex in Malakand will start treating patients under the Sehat Sahulat Card from April 17.

In KP's largest city Peshawar, RMI, Kuwait Teaching Hospital and Muhammad Hospital are already treating patients free of cost under the programme, while Afridi Medical Complex and Maqsood Medical Centre will start coverage from April 14.

Read more: KP's Sehat Card programme to cover COVID-19 treatment, says Taimur Jhagra

Earlier this month, Jhagra had announced that the recently introduced Sehat Card programme by the provincial government will also cover coronavirus treatment.

"To try to provide maximum relief to those suffering from COVID, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to include COVID treatment in the Sehat Card programme," announced the minister on Twitter.

Jhagra appealed to the public to help control the high COVID positivity rate being reported in the province during the third wave. He added that by controlling the positivity ratio the pressure on the healthcare system could be eased.

The minister had said at the time that more details on the programme will be issued later.

Read more: Schools closed in 8 KP cities amid surge in coronavirus cases

KP is one of the provinces that has been worst hit by the third wave of coronavirus.

The Sehat Sahulat card programme was rolled out in a few districts of the province last year and was eventually expanded to the whole province.

The programme provides Rs1 million insurance to every family in the province.