Peshawar \u2013 A detailed audit report by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Health Department has revealed massive financial irregularities worth billions of rupees in the province\u2019s flagship Sehat Insaf Card program, covering the period between 2018 and 2021. The findings raise serious concerns over transparency, management, and oversight in one of KP\u2019s largest healthcare initiatives, which was originally designed to provide free health coverage to millions of underprivileged citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the audit report, financial discrepancies totaling Rs. 28.61 billion<\/strong> were identified in the Sehat Card and other associated health projects during the three-year period under review. These irregularities include the inclusion of non-eligible private hospitals, excessive and unwarranted payments to healthcare providers, unnecessary staffing, and a failure to implement critical management systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most alarming revelations is that a number of private hospitals were added to the Sehat Card panel without proper justification. In some cases, hospitals that were not even officially registered with the program were awarded contracts and paid billions of rupees. The report specifically notes that out of 48 hospitals reviewed across 10 districts, 17 were not registered<\/strong> with the Sehat Sahulat Card panel. Despite their unregistered status, these facilities were allowed to operate under the program and were paid substantial sums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The audit further highlighted that two unregistered private hospitals in Swat alone received more than Rs. 1 billion each<\/strong> in payments under the Sehat Sahulat Program. These payments were made without meeting the necessary verification and compliance requirements, raising suspicions about possible favoritism, mismanagement, or collusion between officials and healthcare providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report also uncovered significant overstaffing at 32 District Headquarters (DHQ) hospitals. These hospitals hired employees well beyond the actual operational requirements, leading to avoidable financial burdens on the provincial treasury. The cost of these excessive recruitments is estimated to have caused a loss of Rs. 824 million<\/strong> to the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Analysts suggest that such overstaffing may have been politically motivated, with positions possibly handed out as favors, rather than being based on genuine healthcare needs. This not only wasted public funds but also impacted the efficient allocation of human resources within the health sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A key reform that was planned for the Sehat Card program \u2013 the Central Management Information System (CMIS)<\/strong> \u2013 was supposed to be launched on March 1, 2022. The CMIS was intended to be a joint initiative between the KP Health Department and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to centralize patient data, track healthcare claims, and improve monitoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the report states that the system was never introduced, leaving a major gap in data management. Without a functioning CMIS, there is no complete or reliable database of patients who benefited from the program, making it extremely difficult to audit claims, verify service delivery, or detect fraudulent billing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps one of the most concerning aspects of the report is the absence of complete patient data. The Sehat Sahulat Card was designed to provide free treatment for a wide range of medical conditions to low-income citizens, but without proper records, it is impossible to verify whether the funds were actually used for the intended beneficiaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This lack of transparency not only raises the risk of corruption but also undermines public trust in the healthcare system. Experts warn that without accurate data, the program could be exploited for political gains or siphoned off for private benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Sehat Insaf Card program was hailed as a revolutionary healthcare scheme aimed at improving access to quality medical services for KP\u2019s most vulnerable populations. Funded by public resources, it was supposed to cover a wide range of medical treatments \u2013 from minor surgeries to life-saving procedures \u2013 at both public and private hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the audit findings suggest that poor governance, unchecked spending, and mismanagement may have diverted billions of rupees away from their intended purpose. Critics argue that this money could have been used to improve facilities, purchase life-saving equipment, and strengthen primary healthcare services across the province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following the revelations, there have been growing calls from civil society, opposition political parties, and healthcare advocacy groups for an independent investigation into the financial irregularities. They demand that those responsible for approving payments to unregistered hospitals, ignoring audit red flags, and failing to implement the CMIS should face strict legal and administrative consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Health sector experts also stress the urgent need for reforms in the Sehat Card program, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The provincial government has yet to issue an official response to the audit findings, but insiders indicate that the matter could lead to a large-scale inquiry involving multiple departments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If corrective measures are not taken swiftly, experts warn that the credibility of public health programs in KP could be seriously damaged, potentially jeopardizing future initiatives aimed at universal healthcare coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In summary, the audit has exposed deep-rooted flaws in the execution of the Sehat Insaf Card scheme \u2013 flaws that not only cost the province billions but also deprived countless citizens of the medical care they desperately needed. Whether this report leads to meaningful accountability or becomes another forgotten document remains to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Peshawar \u2013 A detailed audit report by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Health Department has revealed massive financial irregularities worth billions of rupees in the province\u2019s flagship Sehat Insaf Card program, covering the period between 2018 and 2021. The findings raise serious concerns over transparency, management, and oversight in one of KP\u2019s largest healthcare initiatives, which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10014,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","inline_featured_image":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_3859443944190656_798604363342440":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10013"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10015,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10013\/revisions\/10015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Unjustified Inclusion of Private Hospitals<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Excessive Hiring at District Headquarters Hospitals<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Failure to Implement Centralized Information Management System<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Lack of Complete Beneficiary Data<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Impact on Public Health Services<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Calls for Accountability and Reform<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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