News Details

13/09/2017

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak has in principle approved proposed programme for providing free treatment facilities to the poor patients...

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak has in principle approved proposed programme for providing free treatment facilities to the poor patients of four non communicable diseases in the province to be launched in collaboration with international healthcare and pharmaceutical company Novartis. He asked the health department to ink formal agreement with the company for starting the programme all over the province as soon as possible. He also hinted at including more non communicable chronic diseases in the programme in case of its successful execution. He was chairing a meeting in connection with launching the programme at Chief Minister Secretariat Peshawar. Senior Health Minister Shahram Khan Tarakai, Secretary Health Abid Majeed, Head Strategic Support Unit Sahibzada Saeed and other authorities attended the meeting. The meeting was briefed about the proposed programme for free treatment of poor patients suffering from four non communicable diseases including breast cancer, cardio vascular, diabetes and hypertension. The meeting was told that free treatment of poor cancer patients with cooperation of Novartis already continued successfully and transparently. Now the company has offered for cooperation in free treatment of the proposed four non communicable diseases. The programme was being launched purely for low income groups of society who otherwise could not afford costly treatment of these diseases. Novartis would provide free medicines to the patients but would charge only Rs. 100 per dose as service fee. Secretary Health told the meeting that launching of this programme would benefit approximately 20 lac people in shape of providing free treatment facilities to the deserving patients suffering from these four non communicable diseases. Chief Minister agreed with the proposal and asked for launching it soon by terming it vital for healthcare of poor people. He said that this would be the second major step of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for treatment of non-communicable chronic diseases after the Sehat Insaf Card scheme for the poor. He said that treatment of more diseases were also be included in this programme in case of its successful implementation. He also agreed with the proposal of providing this facility at divisional level for facilitation of the poor people in remote areas of the province. He said that provincial government was endeavoring to provide health, education and other basic facilities to the poor masses under its welfare manifesto. He further asked the health authorities to complete the distribution of additional 10 lac cards among the deserving people under Sehat Insaf Card extension scheme. ======