A hospital bill is the one expense nobody plans for. One accident, one appendix operation, and a family that was managing fine is suddenly borrowing from relatives. That fear is exactly what the Sehat Card exists to remove for Punjab families.
The card is Punjab’s health insurance, run by the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company, a government company everyone just calls PHIMC. If you are a permanent resident of Punjab, your family is covered. This guide explains what the card pays for, what it refuses to pay for, and the one helpline number you should save today.
What Is the Sehat Card in Punjab
Think of it as insurance the government bought for you. One card is issued in the name of the family head, and it covers the husband, the wife and their unmarried children. A baby born in a hospital on the PHIMC panel joins the cover automatically, which surprises a lot of new parents.
There is no premium and no monthly fee. When someone in the family is admitted to an empanelled hospital, the treatment bill is paid from the card instead of from your pocket, up to the yearly limits.
How Much Treatment Does the Card Cover
The limits run per family, per year, and they split into two bands:
- Secondary care: up to Rs 60,000 a year for regular admissions and treatments.
- Priority care: up to Rs 400,000 a year for the big things, major surgery and serious illness. In special cases this can go up to Rs 1,000,000.
Children needing heart treatment get fully free care under a separate CM program, and our children heart surgery guide explains that route. Factory workers should also read about the mobile health units for workers, because that is a different service from a different department.
What the Sehat Card Does Not Pay For
Here is the part people learn the hard way, usually at the hospital counter. The card pays only when the patient is admitted. Walk in, get a checkup, collect medicine and walk out? That visit is on you. Medicines and lab tests are covered only for patients who are admitted, not for outdoor visits.
So the rule of thumb is simple. Emergency and admission, think Sehat Card. Routine clinic visits, think of it as your own expense. Knowing this one thing before you reach the hospital saves a very ugly argument at the billing desk.
How to Use Your Sehat Card
Take the family head’s CNIC with you and go to a hospital that is on the PHIMC panel. The hospital verifies the family and treats the admitted patient against the card. If anything goes wrong, or a hospital refuses, call the official PHIMC helpline 0800 07542. It runs 24 hours and it is free.
Do Not Mix It Up With the Old Federal Card
One warning, because the confusion is everywhere. Old messages about checking a health card through 8500 belong to the old federal program, not to Punjab’s PHIMC card. Do not rely on forwarded WhatsApp posts for this. The programme’s own website is PHIMC Punjab, and the helpline above is the safest way to confirm anything about your family’s cover.
Sehat Card FAQs
Who is eligible for the Sehat Card in Punjab?
All permanent residents of Punjab. One card in the family head’s name covers the husband, wife and unmarried children.
How much does the Sehat Card cover?
Up to Rs 60,000 a year for secondary care and up to Rs 400,000 a year for priority care, with special cases up to Rs 1,000,000.
Does the Sehat Card pay for checkups and medicines?
Only for admitted patients. Outdoor checkups and medicines for non admitted patients are not covered.
What is the Sehat Card helpline?
Call PHIMC on 0800 07542. The helpline works 24 hours and the call is free.
Is the 8500 SMS check for Punjab?
No. The 8500 check belonged to the old federal program. For Punjab, confirm through the PHIMC helpline or website.
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