‘Sehat Card Programme’ relaunched, extended to Islamabad, AJK & GB

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday revived and expanded the Prime Minister’s Health Card program 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 of every citizen.

Addressing the launch ceremony, the Prime Minister said the initiative marked another major step towards providing healthcare facilities at people’s doorsteps.

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

He said that there was nothing more valuable in life than health. “If there is health, there is education; if there is health, there is decent employment; if there is health, there is progress in all areas of life,” he noted.

The premier said that wealthy sections 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 struggling to get by.

“If a worker falls ill and leaves this world without treatment, his children are left in permanent darkness. Health care is every Pakistani’s right, whether he is a prime minister or a street vendor,” he said.

The Prime Minister congratulated Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, the Health Secretary and their entire team on the launch and urged them to ensure transparent implementation through third-party monitoring so that treatment was delivered at the right facilities and with the right standards.

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

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

Responding to a demand to extend the program to Sindh, he said the proposal was valid and assured the audience that he would personally take up the matter with Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah. Noting that the program was already developing rapidly in Punjab, where billions of rupees were spent on health care, he congratulated the Punjab government on its efforts.

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

Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed hope that the Prime Minister’s Health Card Program would take off across the country and bring relief to millions of families.

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

The minister said that within four to five weeks, a program that had become dormant was fully revived, terming it a “major administrative feat”. He emphasized that health services should not be limited to the treatment of disease 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 around 70 hospitals were covered under Prime Minister’s Health Card in Islamabad, AJK and GB, including 20 additional hospitals in Islamabad alone. He added that cardholders from these regions living in Karachi will 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 yet to be 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 Rs 24 billion had been drawn up.

“If funds are provided for only two years, the program can become self-sustaining from the third year onwards,” he said, expressing hope that healthcare deprivation in Sindh could also be addressed.