‘Sehat Card programme’ relaunched, extended to Islamabad, AJK & G-B | The Express Tribune

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday revived and extended the Prime Minister’s Health Card programme to Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan while reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to providing quality healthcare as a fundamental right to every citizen.

Addressing the launch ceremony, the prime minister said the initiative marked another major step towards delivering healthcare facilities at the people’s doorsteps.

The premier recalled that the health card scheme was first introduced in 2016 under the leadership of former PM and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and later expanded rapidly across provinces.

He said there was nothing more valuable in life than health. “If there is health, there is education; if there is health, there is dignified employment; if there is health, there is progress in every field of life,” he remarked.

The premier said affluent segments of society could afford expensive treatment anywhere in the world, but the true test of the state lay in protecting the poor, widows, orphans and daily wage earners who struggle to make ends meet.

“If a labourer falls ill and leaves this world without treatment, his children are left in permanent darkness. Healthcare is the right of every Pakistani whether prime minister or street vendor,” he said.

The prime minister congratulated Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, the health secretary and their entire team on the launch, urging them to ensure transparent implementation through third-party monitoring so that treatment was provided at the right facilities and with the right standards.

He expressed confidence that honest execution of the programme would serve the people.

Expressing hope that the scheme would be implemented swiftly and effectively, he said he would personally monitor the programme through visits and inspections in collaboration with Islamabad’s health leadership, parliamentarians, the G-B chief minister and the AJK premier.

Responding to a demand for extending the programme to Sindh, he said that the proposal was valid and assured the audience that he would personally take up the matter with the Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah. He noted that the programme was already progressing rapidly in Punjab, with billions of rupees being spent on healthcare, and congratulated the Punjab government on its efforts.

He added that while other provinces had their own health initiatives, efforts would be made to ensure similar facilities were made available nationwide.

PM Shehbaz expressed the hope that the Prime Minister’s Health Card programme would gain momentum across the country, bringing relief to millions of families.

Earlier, Kamal said that the revival of the card scheme would provide free, cashless healthcare to nearly 10 million residents of Islamabad, AJK and G-B. He said the programme ensured citizens would receive treatment without worrying about affordability at moments of pain and distress.

The minister said that within four to five weeks, a programme that had become inactive was fully revived, terming it a “major administrative achievement”. He stressed that healthcare should not be limited to treating illness alone.

“Healthcare means preventing people from becoming patients ensuring safe childbirth, vaccinating children, providing clean drinking water and strengthening preventive care,” he said.

Sharing operational details, Kamal said that around 70 hospitals were being empanelled under the Prime Minister’s Health Card across Islamabad, AJK and G-B, including 20 additional hospitals in Islamabad alone. He added that cardholders from these regions living in Karachi would also be able to access treatment at 16 designated hospitals in the city.

He noted that Sindh remained the only province where the health card was not yet operational, while Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and the federal territories were already covered.

Referring to proposals discussed earlier, he said a plan covering 10 rural and urban districts of Sindh at an estimated cost of Rs24 billion had been prepared.

“If funding is provided for just two years, the programme can become self-sustaining from the third year onward,” he said, expressing hope that healthcare deprivation in Sindh could also be addressed.