Sehat Card: A Hope for Free Treatment—But Transparency and Functional Hospitals Are Essential

Healthcare has always been one of the major challenges facing governments in Pakistan. The rising cost of treatment, expensive medicines, pressure on public hospitals, and the inability of low-income families to afford major surgeries and treatment for serious illnesses have turned healthcare into a serious concern. In such circumstances, the launch and expansion of the Sehat Card, providing free or cashless treatment to eligible citizens, can be regarded as an important welfare initiative. However, its real success will depend not on announcements, but on how easily, transparently and indiscriminately the facility reaches ordinary citizens. The fundamental objective of the Sehat Card should be to ensure that no poor citizen is deprived of treatment simply because of financial difficulties. Since different Sehat Card programmes have operated under different arrangements at the federal and provincial levels, it is equally important for citizens to know which programme is currently active in their area and which hospitals are included in its panel. In Azad Jammu & Kashmir, the Sehat Card facility has been restored, with hospitals in different districts included in the programme. These include major healthcare facilities in Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Mirpur, Bhimber, Kotli, Pallandri, Bagh, Jhelum Valley and Neelum Valley, while selected hospitals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad are also available to eligible citizens. However, the panel of hospitals and available services can change, so citizens should verify the latest list through the relevant government portal or helpline before seeking treatment. In other parts of Pakistan, various government and private hospitals have also been included in health insurance and Sehat Card-related programmes. The government must ensure that citizens have easy access to updated information about participating hospitals, eligible treatments and the limits of coverage. The government's responsibility does not end with issuing a health card. Hospitals must have dedicated Sehat Card counters, trained staff, medicines and proper facilities, while patients must be protected from unnecessary expenses and administrative delays. If an eligible patient has to pay additional money, seek political recommendations or make repeated visits to obtain treatment, the very purpose of the Sehat Card is undermined. The government should make transparency, merit and accountability fundamental principles of the programme. Citizens should be able to check through mobile services, websites and helplines whether their card is active, which nearby hospital is on the panel, which treatments are covered and what services are available without payment. An effective mechanism for resolving complaints is equally essential. Healthcare is a fundamental responsibility of any welfare state. If the Sehat Card genuinely becomes a means of providing timely and quality treatment to poor and middle-class families, it will be much more than just a card—it can become a bridge of trust between the state and its citizens. The government should therefore keep the programme above political considerations and transform it into a permanent, transparent and sustainable national healthcare mechanism, ensuring that no Pakistani citizen is denied essential treatment simply because of poverty.