PESHAWAR: The government has decided to include free kidney transplantation and treatment of burn patients in Sehat Insaf Card Programme under which 19,000 deserving patients have received free treatment for emergency ailments since January 1.

`We are in talks with the Institute of Kidney Diseases (IKD) to provide free kidney transplant services to the patients. The government wants to facilitate more patients from the programme,` Dr Manzoor Ali of State Life Insurance Corporation told Dawn.

The corporation is implementing the SIC programme, launched by provincial government to spend Rs5.4 billion on free treatment of 1.8 million households over a period of two years.

So far, Rs350 million has been spent on free treatment of p atients at L ady Reading Hospital, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Hayatabad MedicalComplex, Rehman Medical Institute, North West General Hospital and Research Centre and other hospitals in different districts of the province.

`The programme allows Rs300,000 for treatment of the card holders, requiring operations for kidney and gall bladder stones through laparoscopic and open surgical procedures,` said Dr Manzoor.

He said that government set up a special fund of Rs190 million to pay for additional cost of the treatment of SIC holders. He added that a single kidney transplant required about Rs10 million and the patient would get Rs300, 000 through the card and Rs700, 000 from the fund to undergo complete treatment at the IKD.

`Organ transplantation is not covered in the SIC programme,` said Dr Manzoor. He said that the funds were meant to facilitate life-saving procedures and treat the patients. He added that two patients were already assisted from the special fund for treat of head injuries, burns injuries and liver transplantation.

Dr Manzoor said that the patients, who required costly medical procedures and treatments like angiography, angioplasty, hip replacement due to arthritis and tuberculosis, appendectomies and abdominal surgeries, were entitled to f ree treatment.He said that the programme was in place in all districts except Shangla, Upper and Lower Dir, Lakki Marwat and Karak etc as they couldn`t find private hospitals there to facility the patients.

`However, we have signed agreements with category B and C hospitals there,` he added.

Dr Manzoor said that initially there was slackness on part of pubhc sector hospitalin launching the programme as there was no awareness about it so they developed a proper mechanism.

`The cardiothoracic ward at LRH has provided treatment to more patients under the programme. The hospitals have treated 600 patients,` he added.

The programme was piloted in four districts last year. It was extended to the entire province after evaluation report about its effectiveness in treatment of poor people. `The patients, who are referred to the tertiary care hospitals, get Rs1,000 as transportation cost. An attendant gets Rs750 for three-day stay with patient at the hospital,` said Dr Manzoor.

He said that expectant mothers got free operation and treatment f acilities at major hospitals, both public and private, under the programme and received Rs1,000 on discharge as transportation cost from the Mother and Child Health Programme.