Shehbaz Sharif launches ‘Prime Minister’s Sehad Card’

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday formally launched the Prime Minister’s Sehat Card programme to provide free medical treatment to residents of Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Addressing the launch ceremony, the prime minister said the introduction of the health card was a continuation of the government’s commitment to public welfare and aimed at delivering healthcare facilities at people’s doorsteps.

He said health was the most valuable asset in life, and progress in education, sports and all other fields was only possible if people were healthy.

While the affluent could afford expensive treatment abroad, he said, access to healthcare remained a major challenge for the common man, labourers and the poor, making the programme highly significant.

The prime minister directed that transparency in the programme be ensured through third-party oversight.

He said that the proposal to launch the sehat card programme in Sindh was under consideration and that he would hold talks with the Sindh chief minister to find a solution so that residents of the province could also benefit from the facility.

He said that health programmes were already being implemented successfully in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Punjab, with billions of rupees being spent on public health.

Prime Minister’s Health Card Programme Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Arshad Qaimkhani said the scheme, launched in 2016, had now evolved into a universal health coverage programme.

He said that poverty surveys showed that 66 per cent of people fell below the poverty line due to their inability to bear healthcare expenses, adding that under the health card programme, cashless treatment would be available at more than 600 public and private hospitals.

He said that national identity cards and children’s B-Forms could be used as health cards, ensuring free treatment for every Pakistani from the mountains of Gilgit to the shores of Gwadar.

On the occasion, the prime minister also distributed Prime Minister’s Health Cards for Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said that permanent residents of Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan would benefit from free healthcare facilities, covering a population of nearly 10 million.

Citing World Health Organization data, he said that 13 million Pakistanis had been pushed to the poverty line due to illness, but under the programme, no poor family would be forced to wander in search of treatment.

He said people would no longer have to sell household items or jewellery to pay for medical care, and no child would be deprived of treatment due to poverty. He added that more than 1,000 public and private hospitals were part of the health card panel, and that under the prime minister’s leadership, patients would receive dignified, free treatment for emergencies and major surgeries alike.

Mustafa Kamal urged the prime minister to include 10 urban and rural districts of Sindh in the next health budget under the health card programme, which would cost around 24 billion rupees annually.

He pointed out that in Karachi, some residents received free treatment while others did not due to differences in identity cards, noting that people living in Karachi with non-Karachi identity cards were eligible for free treatment, while Karachi ID card holders were deprived of the facility. He said the prime minister had assured him he would raise the matter with the Sindh chief minister.

The health minister said Pakistan’s healthcare system had so far remained limited to “sick care”, adding that the true purpose of a healthcare system was not only to treat illness but also to prevent disease. He said practical steps were under way to transform the system into a comprehensive healthcare model.