Panel suggests Senate Secretariat’s medical reimbursement facility with cashless health insurance

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Wednesday recommended replacing the Senate Secretariat’s medical reimbursement facility with cashless health insurance, with employees’ medical allowance proposed to cover the premium.

The proposed arrangement would cover around 6,767 employees and eligible family members, providing healthcare through an insurance scheme instead of requiring employees to pay medical bills upfront and seek reimbursement later.

The recommendation was made at a meeting of the sub-committee of the executive committee of the Senate Secretariat Employees Welfare Fund (SSEWF), chaired by Senator Amir Waliuddin.

The sub-committee discussed the proposed group health insurance facility and directed officials to examine the arrangement further through the State Life Insurance Corporation.

The chair also called for exploring a government-to-government (G-to-G) arrangement and sought detailed information on the scheme’s coverage, premium structure, terms and conditions and other relevant provisions.

Members stressed that the proposed scheme should be carefully examined before implementation to ensure employees and their families did not face difficulties in accessing healthcare.

They also agreed in principle that employees should not be allowed to claim both medical reimbursement and insurance benefits for the same treatment.

During the meeting, members sought clarification about projected future premiums and the financial implications for the Senate Secretariat.

Members observed that the existing reimbursement mechanism was cumbersome, as employees had to initially bear medical expenses before going through the reimbursement process.

They said the Senate Secretariat’s available budgetary resources could support the introduction of a group health insurance scheme, which they believed would provide employees and their families with more timely access to healthcare.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026