CONTEXTUALISING SEHAT SAHULAT PROGRAMME IN THE DRIVE TOWARDS UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN

Main Article Content

Sheraz Ahmad Khan
Kathrin Cresswell
Aziz Sheikh

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To describe the evolution of the Sehat Sahulat Programme (SSP), a large-scale health insurance scheme launched by the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan and to contextualise it in the national discourse around Universal Health Coverage (UHC).


METHODS: This review was based on peer-reviewed publications and publicly available grey literature over the last five years (2016-2020). We employed a combination of deductive and inductive approaches informed by the World Health Organisation's (WHO) UHC box framework.


REVIEW: SSP was launched on 15 December 2015. It has been implemented in four phases, with a gradual expansion in the population, services and cost coverage. In 2015, SSP covered the poorest 21% of the population in four pilot districts. On 20 August 2020, the coverage was expanded to 100% of the population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. SSP conferred free access to an expanding list of inpatient, secondary and tertiary care services. The scheme covered all expenditures during hospital admission, with a defined upper ceiling. The ceiling for secondary and tertiary care has improved, with marked changes in tertiary coverage, from PKR 0 in Phase1 – PKR 400,000 in Phase 4. Despite the progress, SSP did not cover key health-related targets under Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and partially covered Pakistan's UHC benefits package.


CONCLUSION: SSP coverage of population, disease and financial protection has expanded over five years. However, SSP coverage was not aligned with the national UHC priorities and the SDGs.

Article Details

How to Cite
Khan, Sheraz Ahmad, et al. “CONTEXTUALISING SEHAT SAHULAT PROGRAMME IN THE DRIVE TOWARDS UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN”. KHYBER MEDICAL UNIVERSITY JOURNAL, vol. 14, no. 1, Mar. 2022, pp. 63-70, doi:10.35845/kmuj.2022.21481.
Section
Narrative Review Articles
Author Biography

Kathrin Cresswell, Usher Institute, The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Usher Institute,  The University of Edinburgh

 

 

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