14 free liver transplants done in four months under Sehat Card scheme.

PESHAWAR -- Mohammad Danyal, who lost three infant brothers to liver diseases, is fast recovering after having the first paediatric hepatic transplant under the provincial government's flagship Sehat Card Plus health insurance programme.

The 14-year-old resident of Nowshera district, who suffered from an end-stage liver issue and underwent the surgery at Islamabad's private Quaid-i-Azam International Hospital on June 5, was discharged on Wednesday.

His father had donated his liver to him.

For him, the Social Health Protection Intuitive (SHPI), which is branded as the Sehat Card Plus programme, proved a blessing as his father, a rickshaw driver, was unable to bear surgery costs.

His father, Amir Sajjad, and mother were overjoyed to see their child survive the liver issue, which killed their three minor sons.

Official says four more patients being examined for free surgery

'We are thankful to Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and health minister Taimur Jhagra over free treatment of my son. My three sons earlier died of liver problems before attaining the age of one year because I didn't have money to bear the expenses of their transplants,' the 44-year-old told Dawn.

The resident said he took Danyal to Lahore for some investigation and learned that the liver transplant would cost around Rs5 million, an amount unmanageable for him.

He added that a month ago, he learned about the inclusion of liver transplant in the list of diseases covered by the Sehat Card Plus scheme, so he approached the relevant authorities, which facilitated the surgery.

'I donated part of my liver to save my son's life and it worked,' he said.

Danyal said he thanked PTI chairman Imran Khan over the introduction of the Sehat Card Plus scheme by his government to enable poor people to get expensive treatment for their children.

'Now after transplant, I will be able to resume my studies, I dropped out in sixth grade for health reasons. I had never thought of getting such a VIP medical care at a top...

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