PESHAWAR (Syed Kashifuddin): Large-scale financial irregularities and alleged corruption worth over Rs500 million have surfaced in the Sehat Sahulat Program launched by the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to provide free and quality healthcare to citizens.
According to official records and internal audit reports, serious misuse of the Sehat Card system was detected at a major teaching hospital in the provincial capital. The findings indicate that certain doctors and administrative officials allegedly manipulated hospital records and billing procedures to unlawfully generate revenue.
Sources revealed that patients registered under the Sehat Card were prescribed unnecessary and excessive medicines, which were later allegedly sold to other patients for cash. In hundreds of cases, patients were reportedly charged cash in the name of surgical procedures, while the same operations were simultaneously billed through the Sehat Card, resulting in alleged double payments.
Under government policy, surgeries conducted during morning hours under the Sehat Card are credited fully to the hospital’s account. However, procedures performed in the evening fall under Institutional-Based Practice (IBP), where revenue is shared between doctors and the hospital according to a fixed formula.
Investigations further disclosed that some doctors allegedly recorded morning surgeries as evening procedures in the computerised hospital system to secure a personal share of the income. Sources claimed that technical alterations were made in digital records to facilitate the manipulation, although audit mechanisms eventually flagged the discrepancies.
Officials have termed the revelations alarming and confirmed that further investigations are underway to determine responsibility and recover losses. Authorities have indicated that strict action will be taken against those found involved in the alleged corruption.
