LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said that the provision of quality and affordable healthcare facilities to masses, especially the downtrodden and social protection, was the foremost priority of the present government.
As the health and education sectors were neglected in the past, the health system became ineffective and badly hurt the poor in particular, he added.
The prime minister was presiding over a meeting held to review progress regarding the provision of universal health insurance in Punjab.
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Minister for Economic Affairs Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Advisor to PM Shehzad Akbar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Climate Change Malik Ameen Aslam, Provincial Finance Minister Makhdoom Hasham Jawan Bakht, Special Assistant to CM Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan and senior officers were in attendance.
Prime Minister Imran said that the health card will not only provide the common man with healthcare protection, from which the masses had remained deprived over the last 70 years, but it will also bring about revolutionary and durable change in the health system.
Assuring all possible cooperation of the federal government, he directed for continuous monitoring for the achievement of targets, set for universal health insurance in the province.
The meeting was apprised about the progress made so far after Punjab cabinet’s approval for the provision of universal health insurance to 100 per cent population of the province by the end of the current year.
Giving a detailed briefing to the participant on the feasibility of Sehat Sahulat Programme, budget estimates and phase-wise implementation, the meeting was told that under a short-term plan, the provision of health cards will be ensured in seven districts of Sahiwal and Dera Ghazi Khan Divisions.
By December 2021, 100 per cent population of Punjab would be provided with the healthcare facilities under the universal health insurance, it was told.
Last week, Prime Minister Imran had congratulated the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for providing free healthcare coverage to people of the province.
In a tweet on Monday, Imran had said about 40 million people will receive free healthcare worth Rs1 million every year in more than 400 public and private hospitals across the province under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s flagship Sehat Sahulat Programme introduced in August last.
He had noted KP was the first province in the country to provide universal health coverage for its residents.
In addition, State Life Insurance Corporation (STIC), which has been selected after a competitive bidding process, will be paid Rs2,849 per family annually.
The first phase of the project was launched in 2015, covering three per cent of the population (100,000 families in four districts) of the province.
It was extended to 51 per cent of the population (1,791,930 people in all districts) in the second phase in 2016. The third phase of the programme was started in 2017, covering 64 per cent of the population (3,200,000 families).
So far, the government has spent more than Rs10 billion on free treatment of 250,000 people.
