Agreement inked for providing free medicine

Beneficiaries of PM’s national health insurance programme in the capital would be able to access it

ISLAMABAD: People suffering from chronic diseases can now access medicines under outpatient care under the Prime Minister’s National Health Insurance Programme.

Earlier, people suffering from chronic diseases earning less than Rs200 were only provided with free indoor treatment under the programme.   On Thursday, the health ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with a multinational healthcare company to help the poor gain access to treatment of chronic diseases.

Per the agreement signed by Prime Minister’s National Health Program Director Dr Faisal Rifaq and Novartis CEO Shahab Rizvi, the health ministry and Novartis would partner in the Novartis Access programme. This programme would see people covered under the national insurance scheme access a basket of high-quality medicines in the public sector targeting four key non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory illnesses, and breast cancer.

These diseases kill a fifth of Pakistanis between the ages of 30 and 70 years every year.

The medicines which will be made available under the programme are among the world’s most frequently prescribed medicines for these chronic diseases.

In the pilot phase of the programme, Novartis Access medicines will be available through selected hospitals in Islamabad, and in over 20 selected districts across the country, said Health Secretary Mohammad Ayub Sheikh. He added that the aim of the programme was to extend it to all districts of the country by next year. Minister of State for Health Saira Afzal Tarar said that the government would make sure these drugs are available free of charge to patients under the programme.

“I am very pleased with the signing of this memorandum of understanding with Novartis. Pakistan is grievously affected by the growth of non-communicable diseases, and having access to high-quality treatment at low cost is a critical part of our work to lessen the impact of chronic disease in Pakistan,” Tarar said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2017.