Mardan to get health insurance soon

The health ministry says the programme will benefit some 33,000 families in the area

ISLAMABAD: The health ministry has decided to start a health insurance programme in Mardan which would benefit some 33,000 families in the area.

During a meeting on Tuesday, Minister of State for National Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar directed the ministry to expedite the launch of the Prime Minister’s National Health Programme in Mardan.

After Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government’s refusal to contribute to the national health insurance programme, Tarar said that the federal government had decided to launch the programme on its own.

The provincial government, meanwhile, has launched its own health insurance programme which supports those who fall between 0 to 25 on the poverty index bar.

Tarar further directed the ministry to provide services for the 33,000 beneficiaries in Mardan at the earliest.

She appreciated the efforts made by State Life team.

The meeting also reviewed the current status of the national health programme.

The state minister was told insurance for the 300,000 families of Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad in Sindh and Kohat in K-P, started from June 1, 2017.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 7^th, 2017.