LAHORE: In a major development, as many as 30 million families across Punjab will get access to health insurance under Naya Pakistan Sehat Programme until March.
Prime Minister Imran Khan attended the launching ceremony of the Naya Pakistan Sehat Programme in Lahore on Monday.
While addressing it, the premier said the biggest challenge for a family starts when a member contracts a disease.
Imran Khan said the government will start distribution of health cards in the most populated province from January, claiming the dole out will be completed by March.
He said, “I wasn’t aware of the burden a family faces if somebody contracts a disease until my mother was diagnosed with cancer. We suffered a lot too despite having the resources”.
The prime minister said the idea of health insurance arose in his mind after going through the phase.
Imran said he wants that no poor person gets intimidated by expenditures on an ailing family member.
The premier said Naya Pakistan Sehat Programme is not a health project but a health system that would integrate the private sector as well.
He said the Riyasat-e-Madina was founded on the principle and concept of a welfare state that would look after the needs of its poor population.
He opined that it is important for a state to initially incorporate humanity in it before becoming resourceful, reiterating the example of Riyasat-e-Madina that lifted the impoverished people.
He said success is achieved from the prayers of the unprivileged people who are treated for free, noting that the network of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital (SKMCH) expanded due to the same reason.
Addressing the ceremony, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said they have earmarked Rs440 billion for the health card project.
He said his government has increased the health budget and built nine new hospitals in the past three years.
Further, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid said some 30 million families in Punjab will have access to health cards.
She said the programme was launched in the province in 2019 from Rajanpur and 5.2 million poor families received health cards. The health minister said some 0.7 million families have so far benefitted from the facility.
