Punjab Sehat Card 2026: Free Hospital Treatment on Your CNIC — Eligibility, Limits and Hospitals

Many families in Punjab still believe they need a separate health card to get free hospital treatment. Under the Punjab Sehat Card, now officially called the Health Insurance Program, your original CNIC is your card. The Punjab Health Initiative Management Company runs it, paying for hospital admissions at approved panel hospitals up to a yearly family limit.

What the Punjab Health Insurance Programme Is

• New official name: The Sehat Card in Punjab is now officially called the Health Insurance Program, run by PHIMC, a Government of Punjab company.
• Hospital admissions: The programme pays for treatment when a patient is admitted to an empanelled hospital, not for ordinary outdoor visits.
• No separate card: There is no separate card to collect and nothing to register for, because the official guidance states simply that your CNIC is your Health Insurance Program.
• No fee or premium: There is no registration fee and no insurance premium for families under the Punjab programme.
• Panel hospitals: Treatment is available at empanelled private hospitals, and the current panel list should be checked before a planned admission.

Who Is Eligible for Free Treatment

• All permanent residents: According to the latest official announcement, all permanent residents of Punjab are eligible for the programme.
• Family definition: A family means husband, wife and their unmarried children, and children born in empanelled hospitals are added to the family.
• No age or size limit: The programme’s Urdu guidance adds that there is no limit on family size or age for eligibility.
• NADRA record matters: If you live in Punjab but show as ineligible, update your family record at NADRA and then call the helpline.
• Children’s document: For children below 18, the B-Form is used instead of a CNIC at the hospital counter.

What Treatment Is Covered

• Secondary care: Secondary care is covered up to Rs 60,000 per family per year, for general hospital admissions.
• Priority care: Priority care is covered up to Rs 400,000 per family per year, for serious and expensive treatments.
• Special cases: In special circumstances, the yearly limit can be extended up to Rs 1,000,000 for a family.
• Fully free treatments: Cancer treatment, ICU, CCU, NICU, medical cases, thalassemia treatment and all emergencies are fully free at empanelled hospitals.
• Other conditions: For other conditions, the family may pay 50 percent of the cost, so confirm the exact share for your treatment before admission.
• Confirm limits: These limits are from the September 2026 programme guidance, and rules have changed before, so confirm them on 0800-07542 before a planned admission.

How to Use Your CNIC at a Hospital

• Check the panel first: Go only to a hospital on the programme’s current panel list, which is published through the official PHIMC page.
• Carry original documents: Take your original CNIC, and the child’s B-Form for a child’s treatment, because photocopies alone may not be accepted.
• Find the counter: At the hospital, ask for the Health Insurance Program or Sehat Card counter, where a facilitation officer will check your record.
• Admission check: The officer checks your eligibility through your CNIC, and the approved treatment cost is settled by the programme within the limit.
• Planned treatment: For a planned operation, confirm your eligibility, the panel status and the remaining family limit well before the admission date.

What the Programme Does Not Cover

• Outdoor visits: Ordinary OPD consultations and routine medical checkups are not covered, because the programme covers hospital admissions.
• Non-panel hospitals: Treatment at a hospital that is not on the panel list is not covered, even if the hospital is well known.
• Outside medicines: Medicines bought from outside pharmacies for outdoor treatment are not part of the covered package.
• Cosmetic procedures: Cosmetic procedures and other treatments outside the approved packages are not covered.

Mistakes That Cause Problems for Patients

• Wrong province website: Many websites send Punjab readers to a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sehat Card Plus site, but Punjab’s official source is the PHIMC Health Insurance Program page.
• Wrong SMS code: The 8500 SMS check belongs to the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa programmes, so Punjab families should use the PHIMC helpline 0800-07542 for their own status.
• Old limits: Do not treat old social media figures as final, because limits and panel lists change over time.
• Unupdated NADRA record: A marriage, birth or address that is not updated in NADRA records can show a family member as ineligible at the hospital.
• Agents and fees: No agent is needed to use the programme, and no one should charge you a fee to activate a Sehat Card.

Conclusion

The Punjab Sehat Card, officially the Health Insurance Program, gives every permanent Punjab resident hospital treatment through their CNIC, with no separate card and no registration fee. Secondary care is covered up to Rs 60,000 and priority care up to Rs 400,000 per family per year, rising to Rs 1,000,000 in special cases. Always confirm the panel hospital and your remaining limit on helpline 0800-07542 before a planned admission, and never pay an agent for this free programme.

FAQs

Do I need a physical Sehat Card in Punjab? No, your original CNIC is your card, and for children below 18 the B-Form is used.

Who is eligible in Punjab? All permanent residents of Punjab are eligible, with a family defined as husband, wife and unmarried children.

How much treatment is covered? Rs 60,000 per family per year for secondary care and Rs 400,000 for priority care, extendable to Rs 1,000,000 in special cases.

What helpline should Punjab families use? Call 0800-07542, which is the PHIMC helpline for the Punjab programme.