The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad has confirmed that the data regarding the Sehat Sahulat Program (health cards) was stolen from the hospital last year.
According to reports, the health cards’ data was stolen from the hospital’s Accounts Section. PIMS’ sources have claimed that they have no record of payments made under the stolen cards.
PIMS has also notified a committee to investigate the incident and determine the cause of the data breach of health cards containing precious taxpayers’ money.
On the other hand, PIMS’ administration has stated that the data of health cards is now securely stored in multiple locations, adding that free treatment of patients under the initiative is continuing without interruption.
Meanwhile, the Federal Health Ministry has provided information on the extent of the Sehat Sahulat Program at PIMS, reporting that last year 11,000 patients were treated under the program and the hospital received payments worth Rs. 560 million under the initiative.
Despite the efforts of the administration to assure the public that the theft will not affect the ongoing treatment of patients, there are still concerns about the potential consequences of the disappearance of such sensitive public information.
