President Zardari wants health insurance scheme expedited

Zardari advises that preference be accorded to less developed areas and those hit by floods.

ISLAMABAD:

President Asif Ali Zardari directed Farzana Raja, chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), to expedite the process of extending health insurance for all beneficiaries of the programme so they can avail free medical assistance.

“The BISP must stand out as Pakistan’s flagship programme for poverty alleviation and women’s emancipation,” Zardari was quoted as saying while chairing a presentation on the programme.

Briefing the media about the meeting, presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said that Raja had informed the meeting that Rs5.864 billion have so far been disbursed among 386,174 eligible families countrywide which includes 3,918 families in AJK, 13,706 in Balochistan, 6,164 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 43,276 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 186,568 in Punjab and 132,542 families in Sindh.

In view of the government’s commitment through the “Aghaz-e-Huqooq-e-Balochistan” BISP’s targeting survey in 22 districts of Balochistan was conducted on a priority basis. A similar survey will be carried out in the leftover districts as soon as the law and order situation improves. The poverty survey in Fata will begin this month, the meeting was informed.

Babar said the president, who is also the patron in chief of the BISP, appreciated the initiative of the Nationwide Poverty Survey by the BISP and the fact that it was being conducted on non-partisan basis. The president advised that preference be accorded to less developed areas and those areas that have been worst-hit by the devastating floods.

“Transparency and credibility of the poverty survey are critical for the success of the programme,” the president said. He added that a credible and transparent poverty survey untainted by political consideration would also attract international attention and assistance to take the programme to greater heights.

Those who attended the presentation included Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Privatisation, Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Minister for Textile Industry, M Salman Faruqui, Secretary General to the President, Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and Asma Arbab Alamgir among others.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2011.