- Premier Shehbaz reaffirms govt’s resolve to provide quality healthcare as a fundamental right to every citizen
- Recalls health card programme first launched in 2016 under leadership of Nawaz Sharif and later expanded rapidly across provinces
- Says scheme to benefit nearly 10 million people, expands coverage for ICT, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday revived and extended the Prime Minister’s Health Card programme to the Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan, reaffirming the federal government’s resolve to provide quality healthcare as a fundamental right to every citizen, irrespective of social or economic status.
Addressing the launch ceremony—attended by the federal minister for health, the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, federal ministers, parliamentarians and senior officials, including the secretary health and the chief secretary AJK—the prime minister said the initiative marked another major step towards taking healthcare facilities to people’s doorsteps.
Recalling the origins of the scheme, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the health card programme was first launched in 2016 under the leadership of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and was later expanded rapidly across the provinces.
He remarked that nothing was more valuable in life than health. “If there is health, there is education; if there is health, there is dignified employment; if there is health, there is progress in every field of life,” he said.
The prime minister observed that while affluent segments of society could afford costly treatment anywhere in the world, the true test of the state lay in protecting the poor, widows, orphans and daily wage earners who struggled to make ends meet. “If a labourer falls ill and leaves this world without treatment, his children are left in permanent darkness. Healthcare is the right of every Pakistani—whether a prime minister or a street vendor,” he added.
Congratulating Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, the secretary health and their entire team on the revival of the programme, the prime minister urged them to ensure transparent implementation through third-party monitoring so that treatment was provided at the right facilities and according to prescribed standards. He expressed confidence that honest execution of the initiative would not only serve the people but also bring reward in both this world and the hereafter.
Expressing hope for swift and effective implementation, he said the programme would be personally monitored through visits and inspections in coordination with Islamabad’s health leadership, parliamentarians, the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan and the prime minister of AJK.
Responding to a demand for extending the programme to Sindh, the prime minister said the proposal was valid and assured that he would personally take up the matter with the chief minister of Sindh. He noted that the programme was progressing rapidly in Punjab, where billions of rupees were being spent on healthcare, and congratulated the Punjab government on its efforts. He added that while other provinces had their own health initiatives, efforts would be made to ensure similar facilities nationwide.
The prime minister expressed the hope that the Prime Minister’s Health Card programme would continue to gain momentum across the country, bringing relief to millions of families. “May Allah help us in serving the people,” he said, offering prayers for the success of the initiative and the prosperity of Pakistan.
Earlier, Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Mustafa Kamal said the revival of the Prime Minister’s Health Card would provide free, cashless healthcare to nearly 10 million residents of Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. He said the programme ensured that citizens could receive treatment without worrying about affordability during moments of pain and distress.
The minister said that within four to five weeks, a programme that had become inactive was fully revived, terming it a major administrative achievement. He stressed that healthcare should not be confined to treating illness alone. “Healthcare means preventing people from becoming patients—ensuring safe childbirth, vaccinating children, providing clean drinking water and strengthening preventive care,” he said.
Sharing operational details, Kamal said around 70 hospitals were being empanelled under the Prime Minister’s Health Card across Islamabad, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan, including 20 additional hospitals in Islamabad alone. He added that cardholders from these regions living in Karachi would also be able to access treatment at 16 designated hospitals in the city.
He noted that Sindh remains the only province where the Prime Minister’s Health Card is not yet operational, while Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and the federal territories are already covered.
Referring to proposals discussed earlier, the minister said a plan covering 10 rural and urban districts of Sindh at an estimated cost of Rs24 billion had been prepared. “If funding is provided for just two years, the programme can become self-sustaining from the third year onward,” he said, expressing hope that healthcare deprivation in Sindh could also be addressed.
