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Patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) are facing serious difficulties in accessing continuous treatment because the provincial Sehat Card Plus programme does not currently cover the neurological disease, as reported by The Express Tribune.
According to The Express Tribune, MS is a chronic autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system. The disease predominantly affects young adults and can lead to long-term disability. Although there is no cure, specialists say regular disease-modifying treatment can reduce relapses and help slow progression. Interruptions in therapy, they warn, could worsen patients condition and increase their dependence on healthcare and social support. According to a 2025 analysis of Global Burden of Disease data, Pakistans age-standardised prevalence of MS reached 9.80 per 100,000 people in 2021, compared with 8.34 in 1990. Women were more affected, with a prevalence of 12.31 per 100,000 compared with 7.38 among men. K-P recorded an annual increase of 0.38 per cent. Sehat Sahulat Card Project Director Riaz Tanoli said the high cost of MS treatment was the principal reason for its exclusion. Annual treatment expenses can reach PKR 800,000 to PKR 900,000 per patient, making sustained coverage difficult under the existing insurance package. Tanoli said he had previously prepared a proposal to include MS treatment, but financial limitations prevented its implementation. He stated that the government must ensure a treatment package remains financially sustainable before adding a disease to the programme. The official also said MS was not routinely covered by social insurance schemes elsewhere in Pakistan. However, Punjab provides partial coverage of up to PKR 400,000, while Balochistan introduced a programme in 2025 offering free treatment to 125 patients, as cited by The Express Tribune. Tanoli said non-surgical neurological conditions were being considered for inclusion in future Sehat Card agreements, although this would not guarantee MS coverage. The programme currently has a PKR 1 million treatment ceiling, while individual MS medicines can cost PKR 300,000 to PKR 400,000 per dose. Healthcare advocates have called on the provincial government to make a sustainable mechanism rather than the usual case-by-case assistance in the public healthcare system, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI)
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