ISLAMABAD: Five major health sector projects have been approved under the government’s Uraan Pakistan social sector initiative, as the Central Development Working Party cleared proposals worth over Rs69 billion, officials said on Thursday.
The approvals came during a meeting of the CDWP chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Ahsan Iqbal. Three projects with a combined cost of Rs12.524 billion were approved at the CDWP level, while two large schemes worth Rs56.823 billion were referred to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council for final approval.
Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Mustafa Kamal attended the meeting and presented the health sector proposals.
Among the key initiatives reviewed was the revised Sehat Sahulat Programme, approved at a cost of Rs40.188 billion and forwarded to ECNEC. The programme, part of the Social Health Protection Initiative, aims to provide inpatient health insurance coverage to all permanent resident families in Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan based on national identity records.
Officials said the scheme is designed to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare expenses and catastrophic hospitalisation costs by up to 60 percent, particularly for low-income and vulnerable households. Under the revised framework, the programme will be implemented through the development budget on a universal basis in the three regions to improve overall public health outcomes.
Ahsan Iqbal said the Sehat Sahulat Programme would be restored to its original focus on underprivileged and deserving families, noting that its expansion in previous years had diluted resources and reduced access for those most in need. The scheme was originally launched in 2015 as the Prime Minister National Health Programme.
The CDWP also approved a revised project for the establishment of Jinnah Hospital Polyclinic PGMI-II at G-11/3 in Islamabad, with a total cost of Rs15.948 billion, and recommended it to ECNEC for final approval.
Officials said the approved projects reflect the government’s priority to strengthen healthcare infrastructure and expand social protection under the Uraan Pakistan development agenda.
