Approximately ten million residents across the Islamabad Capital Territory, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir are set to benefit from universal health coverage following the government’s launch of the Prime Minister’s Health Card Scheme.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony on Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that his government believes healthcare is a fundamental right for every Pakistani citizen and is committed to ensuring such facilities are available at every individual’s doorstep.
The Prime Minister described the initiative as a revival of the Health Card Scheme first introduced in 2016 by his leader, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, whose services in promoting the programme were acknowledged as a priority.
Speaking at the event, Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal confirmed that efforts are underway to expand the network by including more hospitals in the programme to better facilitate the covered populations.
Arshad Kaimkhani, the Chief Executive Officer of the programme, briefed attendees on the operational details, explaining that a citizen”s CNIC, or a B-Form for a child, will function as their identification to access treatment at designated medical facilities. He emphasised that the scheme is entirely cashless, with no payments or reimbursement procedures required from the patients.
Kaimkhani further detailed that the initiative operates on a third-party insurance model, which allows for the tracking of every hospital admission transaction. He clarified that the service currently covers only hospitalisation, with future plans to incorporate outpatient department and other healthcare services in alignment with the Prime Minister’s vision.