PESHAWAR: Is the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government planning to scrap the Sehat Card Plus programme? A purported Health Department notification circulating on social media has fuelled speculation that the provincial government intends to abolish the healthcare scheme and other public welfare initiatives.
The document also claims that Prof. Dr. Nausherwan Burki, chairman of the province’s Medical Teaching Institutions (MTI) Policy Board, has been removed from his position with immediate effect. However, health authorities have reportedly dismissed the notification as fake, denying that any such decision has been taken.
The Claim
Social media accounts, including some associated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters, have circulated claims that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has suspended or plans to abolish the Sehat Card Plus programme.
A purported notification bearing the name of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department is also circulating online. The document allegedly claims that newly appointed health adviser Lieutenant General Nigar Johar has ordered the abolition of the provincial health card programme and an inquiry into its operations.
The purported notification further claims that the newly formed advisory council has terminated the services of Prof. Dr. Nausherwan Burki as chairman of the MTI Policy Board with immediate effect.
The document reportedly directs the relevant authorities to take further action in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations.
Some social media posts have portrayed the alleged decisions as anti-public measures, while accounts described as PTI supporters have circulated the claims amid the controversy surrounding the province’s healthcare policy.
However, the circulation of these claims does not establish that the government has issued an authentic order to terminate Burki’s appointment or discontinue the health card programme.
The Fact Check
Health authorities have strongly rejected the circulating notification as fake and denied that any such decision has been taken.
The reported denial directly challenges the document’s central claim that the provincial government has formally terminated Burki’s services. No authenticated copy of the notification or independent documentary evidence confirming the alleged termination has been provided for this fact-check.
The claim concerning the Sehat Card Plus programme also requires separate verification. The purported notification’s alleged removal of Burki does not, by itself, establish that the healthcare scheme has been suspended or abolished.
Similarly, claims that Lieutenant General Nigar Johar has ordered the programme’s abolition and an inquiry into its operations cannot be treated as established facts without an authenticated government order or an official confirmation.
Although social media posts have linked the purported notification to claims of a health card shutdown, no confirmed evidence available for this fact-check establishes that the provincial government has formally discontinued the programme.
The Verdict
Health authorities have rejected the purported notification concerning Prof. Dr. Nausherwan Burki as fake and denied that the alleged decision was taken.
The claim that the Sehat Card Plus programme has been suspended or abolished remains unsubstantiated. The purported document does not, by itself, establish that the provincial government has discontinued healthcare coverage.
The notification should not be treated as an authentic government order, while the claim that the Sehat Card Plus programme has been suspended remains fake and a propaganda stunt by the PTI activists and social media activasts to target the military and the newly fomred council of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The purported notification has been rejected by health authorities as fake, while the claim that the Sehat Card Plus programme has been suspended remains unsubstantiated. The circulation of the document alongside claims targeting the military and the newly formed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa advisory council by the PTI activists and social media accounts to fuel political controversy.
