Confusion deepens over Sehat Card as Punjab halts UHI in public hospitals but says health coverage continues

Conflicting signals have emerged from the Punjab government over the status of the Sehat Sahulat Programme (SSP), after a Dawn report revealed that the Universal Health Insurance (UHI) scheme has been formally discontinued in all public sector hospitals across the province from June 30, 2025. Meanwhile, senior officials continue to insist that the Sehat Card remains operational.

According to Dawn, a notification issued by the Punjab Health Initiative Management Committee (PHIMC) directed all government hospitals to end UHI-based services by the end of June. The programme will, however, remain in effect at empaneled private hospitals. PHIMC Chief Executive Officer Ali Razaque, quoted by Dawn, stated that the move was intended to avoid duplication of financial benefits, as public hospitals are now covered under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s selective health initiatives such as the CM’s Children Heart Surgery Programme and Dialysis and Transplant Programme.

Hospitals were instructed to submit all pending claims by June 30. After that date, the State Life Insurance Corporation (SLIC) will no longer process reimbursements under the UHI scheme.

In response to public criticism and reports of closure, Punjab’s Minister for Information and Culture, Azma Bukhari, vehemently rejected claims about the discontinuation of the Health Card programme.

“These elements were those who painted the card in their party’s colors and now accuse us of ending it,” she said.
“Free treatment and medicine distribution continues across Punjab,” Bukhari added, noting that Rs22 billion had already been spent under the health insurance scheme.

While the government maintains that free treatment is ongoing, independent medical and public health experts cited by Dawn have expressed concern over the withdrawal of Sehat Card coverage from public hospitals. They argue that the CM’s initiatives only offer selective services, whereas the SSP previously provided broader, more comprehensive coverage.

The experts warned that the decision—taken, they claim, at the advice of long-serving health sector advisers—may prove controversial and detrimental to public access to care, especially for vulnerable populations who rely on government facilities for primary treatment.

Launched in December 2021, the Sehat Card had offered cashless treatment at both public and private hospitals. With UHI now suspended at public facilities, its future as a truly universal health safety net remains uncertain.