Sehat Insaf Card launched to provide free medical facility to needy

Prime Minister Imran Khan launched Sehat Insaf Card on Monday.

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Imran Khan has launched the first phase of Sehat Insaf Card to provide free medical facilities to the needy. 

Addressing the gathering in Islamabd on Monday, the Prime Minister said that every needy family can avail free treatment up to over Rs0.7 million in 150 government and private hospitals under this programme. He said the poor have to sell all their belongings for medical treatment. The cards will also be distributed in tribal areas, he added. Prime Minister Imran Khan said each card holder will also be provided transport charges of one thousand rupees on every visit to the hospital. "We gave Sehat cards to more than half of the households that were living below the poverty line in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)," he told. The premier said: "To launch the project countrywide, it took us some time but it is better late than never. The Sehat Sahulat Program will benefit approximately 1.5 crore people currently living below the poverty line, he went on to say."

On the occasion, the Prime Minister also distributed health cards among deserving people.

Highlighting main features of the Sehat Insaf Card, Minister for Health Aamir Mehmoud Kiani said under this scheme, each deserving family will be able to get medical treatment worth seven hundred and twenty thousand rupees annually. He said it will cover treatment of all diseases except transplant.

He said it is the first time in the country’s history that such a big package has been announced for the poor people.

He said that fifteen million people will be provided the health cards in the next two years. He said this scheme is being launched in Punjab, Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, FATA and the federal capital.

He said especially in tribal districts, these cards will be provided to each family. In Islamabad, eighty five thousand families will be provided with the cards. He said each card holder will also be provided transport charges of one thousand rupees on every visit to the hospital.

The Health Minister said three new hospitals will be established in Islamabad and the existing health facilities are also being upgraded. He said budget has been allocated for this purpose.