PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided in principle to provide Rs500,000 to Rs1 million to the families whose heads die in hospitals during treatment under the Sehat Card Plus health insurance programme.

A summary, sent by the health department to Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur for formal approval, put the compensation for the deceased below the age of 60 at Rs1 million and for those above 60 at Rs500,000, according to officials in the health department.

They said after getting the go-aheadfrom the chief minister, the summary would be laid before the cabinet for nod to implement the initiative.

The officials said the heirs of the people passing away during treatment in hospitals under the SCP would be required to produce a certificate from the National Database Registration Authority, confirming that the deceased was the head of his or her family. Only those listed in Narda records will be eligible to receive those payments.

The officials told Dawn that an agreement had been signed with the State Life Insurance Corporation, which executed the SCP, in that respect, but final approvals were still awaited from the chief minister and cabinet.

They said the government had already pledged Rs4.5 billion for the initiative.

After the chief minister`s approval, authorities will prepare a proposal regarding how to distribute the amount to the heirs of those dying during treatment on the free health initiative. Theproposal will include details about the share of the heirs of the deceased, such as the husband, wife, sons and daughters, and will require cabinet approval, according to officials.

The SCP began in 2016 and later benefitted more than four million people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at a cost of Rs102 billion.

Women have made up 53 per cent of the beneficiaries of the health insurance programme.

The largest group of beneficiaries is in the age bracket of 10-39 years, accounting for 42 per cent of recipients, while 28 per cent of beneficiaries were aged 40-59 years. The number of beneficiaries in the age group ofup tofouryearsisfour per cent.

The officials said the caretaker government had nearly stopped the programme citing a lack of finances as the reason, but the PTI, after returning to power, resumed full-fledged services.

They said the government had empan-elled more than 120 hospitals in the province and around 1,000 hospitals in other provinces where people with computerised national identity cards from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa can avail themselves of services under the SCP free of charge.

Recently, the government adopted a new policy under which contracts for treatment are signed with the majority of public sector hospitals. Last year, private hospitals received fewer patients under the health insurance programme than public hospitals.

The officials said that the initiative to provide compensation to the relatives of deceased individuals was unique, but the ruling PTPs top leadership had been pushing the provincial government to further strengthen the SCP.

They added that since the programme resumed on March 12, 2024, the government had given away Rs34 billion to the insurer to ensure that services are provided to patients without interruption.