Daily Times

LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday launched the distribution of Naya Pakistan National Sehat Card among the entire population of Punjab province enabling every family to avail medical treatment of up to Rs1 million a year at both government and private hospitals.

The premier lauded the Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, the health minister, and the whole team involved in the project. He said under the program 30 million families would benefit from the health insurance facility which would cost Rs 400 billion to the government. “The Punjab government has moved on a course that will uplift the country in pursuance of the forefathers’ vision to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state,” he said.

Calling it a “revolutionary step”, the prime minister said, “Neither everyone can take, nor any of the governments in the past took such a bold decision of providing Rs1 million health insurance to the entire population.”  Citing Madinah State as first welfare state which fulfilled all basic responsibilities of its citizens. PM Imran said, “Our forefathers had dreamed to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state but unfortunately it could not be developed on that course.”

The prime minister told the gathering that the time would prove that initiative of Sehat Card, involving almost equal funding, would have far better outcomes than the Metro Buses or Orange Train. He said the government would close down the government hospitals in far-flung areas where the doctors did not want to be posted, to save the cost.