Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s National Health Insurance Programme project has flopped badly as it marred with unjust distribution of the card among the blue eyed people in the capital.

The programme was initiated by the government with fanfare a good intention to serve people but the people at the helm of affairs have made this project as failure by handing over cards to their own buddies and close aides.

Nawaz Sharif launched this project soon after assuming power by pledging that issue of health problems of the poor would be resolved on priority basis.

A well informed source told Daily Times that PM Nawaz Sharif launched this health insurance card project with the cost of more than 10 billion rupees. The aim of the projects was to issue health insurance card to the poor in order to provide them free health care at the government and private hospitals.

So far more than 45 thousand families across the country have been given health insurance cards but the source told this scribe that the beneficiary of these cards belong to ruling party.

The capital territory witness the worst kind of the card distribution as the poor have been complaining against the distribution.

Raja Muslim a poor person belonging to rural area Tarlai Kalan told this scribe that he is trying for the last many months to get the card but he failed to get it as he has not political affiliation with ruling party.

A ruling party worker told this scribe that on the instructions of MNA and minister belong to ruling party, the health insurance cards were being distributed among people of the choice of local party leaders.

The sources also revealed that private hospital mafia with the connivance of health card holders are minting money by misusing the cards. He said thousands complaints have been received by the concerned officers but no punitive action has been taken against any culprit. He said without the political clout no poor could get the card.

Asad Umer MNA belonging to opposition of PTI from the capital territory told that the government has been doling out these cards to their own political workers and he had already protested against the distribution system.

He said the PLM N workers are being awarded these cards and the real poor from the capital area are being deprived. National health insurance project was badly flopped and people of NA 48 are not getting any benefit of this project, the sitting MNA of NA 48 said.

He said the amount allocated for this project was earmarked from national kitty but Nawaz Sharif led federal government has been obliging the political workers unlawfully. He said he would again raise this issue in the parliament and the poor from the capital rights would not be usurped.

Sectary Health Regulation while talking to this scribe said that nation health insurance card project has been started in 23 districts of country including capital. The project would be completed in three stages and the poor are only eligible for this programme.

The criteria for distribution of the cards among the poor is based on the BISP data, he added.