Prime Minister Imran Khan paid a one-day visit to Bahawalpur Division. There he launched the New Pakistan National Health Card Program.
Upon his visit, PM Khan addressed the gathering in Bahawalpur. He said the PTI struggle was to ensure the supremacy of the rule of law and make Pakistan a welfare state.
He also said the government launched the Ehsaas project, Kamyab Jawan Programme, and the Sehat card. The programs aim to turn the country into a welfare state.
Read more: Sehat Sahulat Program: The incredible story of Universal Health Coverage in Pakistan
During his address, PM Khan noted how the people of South Punjab did not receive their due shares in employment, nor in the budget. Referring to the region, PM Khan said the South Punjab Secretariat will be inaugurated during his next visit to the region.
“I assure the people of South Punjab that my Government will provide you all with your due share InshAllah”
– Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI #صحت_کارڈ_بہاولپور_میں pic.twitter.com/qWye03S8Uh
— PTI (@PTIofficial) February 1, 2022
A revolutionary scheme
So far, the PTI government issued the health card in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Islamabad, Thar Parkar District, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, where it witnessed massive success.
A beneficiary of the health card, Talha Hashmi, expressed his gratitude by saying that without it, he would not have been able to afford his wife’s nephrectomy treatment. The couple approached the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital that helped them apply for the card and guided them through the process.
“The overall experience was good. We faced no difficulties,” Talha said. “Without it, I would not have been able to afford the surgery.”
Ever since its launch, the number of eligible families and individuals benefiting from the National Health Card in Punjab increased. The number increased by 63% with the inclusion of more than 10.5 million people from Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, and Bahawalnagar districts in the Bahawalpur Division.
The National Health Card is a revolutionary initiative by the government. It provides free medical treatment in government and selected private hospitals up to Rs. 1 million.
It includes treatments such as open-heart surgeries, cancer management, neurosurgical procedures, dialysis, deliveries, C-sections, and other medical and surgical procedures.
Read more: PM Khan launches Sehat card in tribal districts
In Punjab, the Program will complete in three phases. It will expand in all 36 districts of Punjab in its first phase, families receiving the Sehat Insaf Cards. Therefore, it is expected that the Sehat Card will cover 30 million families and 115 million people by March 2022.