The Sindh government has approved health insurance facility for employees of the Sindh Secretariat and their families.
An agreement was signed on Wednesday between the Sindh government and State Life Insurance Corporation (SICL) to extend comprehensive health coverage to the employees of the Sindh Secretariat, Chief Minister House, Governor Secretariat and Sindh Assembly.
The agreement was signed by General Administration Secretary Sohail Ahmed Qureshi on behalf of the provincial government, and Shahid Iqbal Baloch, executive director of the SICL.
Special Secretary Muhamamd Zaman Narejo, Irshad Ali Sodhar and SICL Chief Executive Officer Shoaib Javed Hussain were also present on the occasion.
Speaking at the event, Qureshi hailed the agreement as a significant step towards the employees’ welfare.
He stated that under this plan, each family member of the employees would be entitled to a health insurance policy worth Rs 700,000, enabling them to receive medical treatment at over 800 hospitals across Pakistan, including 176 hospitals in Sindh featuring renowned private hospitals.
A dedicated cell would be set up within the services and general administration department to manage this policy, and all records would be linked with that National Database & Registration Authority to ensure transparency and ease of access.
Employees of the Sindh Secretariat expressed happiness at the development. Leaders of the Sindh Secretariat Officers Welfare Association (SOWA) and Sindh Secretariat Employees Non Gazetted Welfare Association (SENWA) thanked Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, general administration secretary, and other relevant officials for their efforts in securing this benefit.
The chief secretary said that this initiative would benefit 24,639 government employees and their dependents. He highlighted that the government would spend Rs402 million annually on this scheme.