ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has launched Sehat Sahulat Programme (health insurance cards) for 1.2 million families of the Azad and Jammu Kashmir (AJ&K) here on Friday. Addressing the ceremony after distributing sehat cards among people, the prime minister said he was happy to launch health cards for 1.2 million people of the AJK.
These families would get health insurance for getting treatment in 350 hospitals across the country. He further stated that this was started from the KP, despite all the criticism that providing health facilities to the people would not be practical and now the KP government has decided to provide health insurance card to every family.
In Punjab, six million people have got health cards so far and they are also trying to provide heath card to every family by 2021, the prime minister added. The prime minister said providing Sehlat Sahulat Program to the people of Kashmir would give a message to the fascist Indian government which is worst for the Kashmiris and Muslims, that how Pakistan was keeping its people in Kashmiris.
The prime minister said 35 years ago he decided to build a cancer hospital after his mother went through this problem, and realised how expensive cancer treatment was for a common man as an ordinary citizen cannot afford treatment of cancer in the hospital. He said when cancer hospital was inaugurated 25 year ago; from that day onwards poor started getting free treatment without any discrimination by the staff of the hospital.
The prime minister further stated that even in some developed countries there is no universal health coverage, and the government despite resources constraints due to debt, decided to provide health coverage to the people. He said there are welfare states in Scandinavia, and they are most prosperous because they take care of every need of the people.
The PM said in the "Objective resolution" it was promised to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state. This is a big step in this direction, the prime minister added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020