Health insurance plan to be extended to 15 new districts

Most of the districts identified by health minister are located in south Punjab

ISLAMABAD: The Health Ministry on Tuesday directed officials to immediately expand the scope of the national health programme to 15 new districts of the country.

The directions were issued by Health Minister Saira Afzal Tarar in a meeting to review progress made by the Prime Minister’s National Health Programme (PMNHP)on Tuesday.

She added that no stone will be left unturned to improve delivery of services to the poor beneficiaries of the programme.

Tarar further assured to undertake all necessary measures to expand the programme across the country in the light of directions from Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

The programme provides free health insurance to people hailing from the poorest of poor who earn less than Rs200 per day ($2 poverty line).

The minister directed that the PMNHP should be expanded to several areas in south Punjab including Muzaffargarh, Vehari, Lodhran, Multan, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Mianwali, Bhakkar, Khushab, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Hafizabad (Punjab).

Moreover, she directed that the programme should also be extended to areas in Sindh and Balochistan including Nowsheroferoze in Sindh, along with Killa Abdullah and Khuzdar in Balochistan.

She appreciated the State Life Insurance Corporation, for extending support and services to provide relief to the poor of Pakistan.

Earlier during the meeting, the minister was given a presentation by the programme’s management on the status of implementing the programme.

According to the programme’s website, it is currently operating in 23 districts across the country including in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and even in Gilgit-Baltistan.

It was first launched in the capital on December 31, 2015, while the last districts to be added were Abbottabad, Chitral and Tando Muhammad Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2018.