PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has approved a significant increase in the budget for its flagship Sehat Card Plus programme in a move aimed at ensuring the uninterrupted provision of free healthcare services across the province.
The State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan received Rs3 billion each month from the provincial government which operated the program according to official sources. The monthly funding for the program increased to Rs4 billion in December to assist with payment of hospital debts which had accumulated for the program.
The project requires an annual budget which now totals Rs48 billion after officials confirmed its budget increase from Rs36 billion. The government designated Rs41 billion for the current fiscal year while they started monthly distribution of Rs3 billion between July and November.
The program requires Rs34 to 35 billion for its annual operations while the organization uses remaining resources to pay off past financial obligations.
Hospitals raised alarms about their unpaid medical services which insurance providers failed to pay even after the rate increased according to multiple healthcare facilities.
The program currently operates in 700 hospitals across the country which includes 169 medical facilities located in KP.
The Sehat Card Plus program has provided free diagnostic and treatment services worth Rs135 billion to almost 4.98 million patients since it started in February 2016.
The scheme provides coverage to all residents in the province which helps approximately 10.7 million families who represent about 34.5 million people.
Schools in KP to follow new timings starting today
Earlier, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has officially announced new school timings for the province, set to take effect from today. Under the new schedule, schools will operate from 7:30 AM to 1:35 PM.
The new school timings, according to a notification issued by the Department of Education, are focused on not only imparting education but also on moral development in students. The new school timings will now come into effect in all public schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Primary schools will now start at 7:30 AM and will close at 1:35 PM. The notification further directs all Education Officers in districts to ensure strict implementation of these new school timings.
The Education Minister, Arshad Ayub Khan, has further directed that moral education, speeches, etc., are to become a mandatory part of school assemblies. In this regard, three days a week will now include speeches on moral issues, while on the other three days, students will undergo training in the form of correct skits and dramas.
The government has further made it a necessity for schools to hold a ‘Buzm-e-Adab’ on the last working days of every week. After this session, the last three periods of the school day will now be dedicated to meetings of teachers and completion of registers.
It was further clarified in this notification that in those schools where there are a shortage of teachers or long-term absenteeism, school heads and subject experts will now have to conduct these classes themselves.
