Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday launched a landmark initiative of providing health insurance cards to the deserving families of the federal capital and whole of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
“No country can progress until it spends for uplift of education and health sectors. The government is striving to improve these sectors ensuring the best possible use of available resources,” the prime minister said while addressing a ceremony organized to distribute ‘Sehat Insaf Cards’ among the needy people.
The prime minister said the card will support the medical treatment of up to Rs 720,000 per family. The initiative proved a success in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where around 69 percent of the poor families were given such cards who received quality healthcare, he added.
He said he had come to know the agony of the poor families after his own mother suffered cancer when there was no cancer hospital in the country. He said sometimes the poor families have even to sell out their belongings if any of the family member suffers any major disease. “No one can be more helpless than the one having no resources for medical treatment of his dear one,” he said. “Such societies also invite the wrath of Allah,” he remarked.
He said the card will initially be distributed among the families in Islamabad and erstwhile FATA region which has suffered immense hardships in the recent past. He said within a month, the Punjab government will also provide Sehat Insaf Card to around 10 million people in the province.
The prime minister said all of the government’s policies revolve around its manifesto of poverty alleviation from the country by giving incentives to industries and allowing the investors to create wealth that will create job opportunities and thus reduce poverty. He said the government was alive to the problems being faced by the people consequent to the devaluation of rupee caused by inherited trade deficit that had inflated the power and gas tariff. Imran Khan said he will soon launch a well-coordinated poverty alleviation program that will provide an umbrella cover to all existing social welfare programs like Pakistan Baitul Mal, Zakat and Benazir Income Support Program. The government will also provide easy loans to the poor for construction of houses. He also announced to launch revamping of services in the hospitals starting from cleanliness that will follow the upgradation of healthcare standards.
The prime minister told the gathering that the country was rich with tourism potential of around $40 billion. He said the offshore drilling activity has also started in the country. “Government will develop Pakistan as a welfare state by fulfilling all fundamental needs of the needy people. Under the legal reforms, the government will provide consular support to the poor applicants who could not afford to hire a lawyer,” he announced.
Minister for National Health Dr Amir Kiani said Rs 720,000 health insurance cover was the highest ever provided by the government. He said the prime minister had personally raided different hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi that was a proof of his seriousness to improve the medical facilities. He said the government desires to develop Islamabad as health city and plans to construct three new hospitals in the federal capital. He also unveiled the government’s plan to promote health tourism to attract people from other countries to get medical care here.
Published in Daily Times, February 5th 2019.
