The latest data regarding Sehat Sahulat Programme facility reveals that nearly 80 per cent of Caesarean section (C-section) procedures covered by the Programme in private hospitals across Punjab were conducted by obstetricians, potentially resulting in significant financial gains at the expense of taxpayers.

Figures from 2016 to January 2024 reveal that private hospitals claimed approximately Rs16.36 billion for C-section and normal delivery procedures, with a substantial portion going to private healthcare facility owners.

State Life Insurance Corporation subsidies were offered for various medical procedures under the program. Punjab Health Initiative Management Company (PHIMC) oversaw healthcare coverage, with 668,238 C-sections performed, predominantly in private facilities.

This discrepancy between private and government hospital procedures has raised concerns among medical observers, prompting calls for an independent investigation.

Similarly, payments to private hospitals for C-sections and normal deliveries totaled Rs16.36 billion from 2016 to January 2024, with a significant portion claimed in 2022 and 2023, leading to a ban on C-sections at private hospitals by the caretaker Punjab government in mid-2023 due to excessive claims.

The major claim of Rs7.19 billion was recorded in 2023, Rs8.16 billion in 2022, Rs610 million in 2021, Rs168 million in 2020 while another amount was calculated for the rest of the years.