PM’s National Health Programme launched in Narowal
160,000 families will be facilitated in Narowal
NAROWAL
Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif has said on Thursday that the government is responsible to solve issues of the impoverished.
The premier inaugurated health card scheme in Narowal today and addressed a ceremony in this regard.
In his speech, PM Nawaz said that the government wishes to solve issues of the impoverished as they do not have enough resources to get medical treatment. He said that the steps taken by the government aim at stabilising the financial irregularities among the classes.
He asserted that national health programme would be spread across the country.
Elaborating on the health card scheme, PM Nawaz said that the government would bear expenses of medical treatment of a member of a family above Rs 0.1 million.
He said that national health programme has been launched in at least 23 districts.
The premier reiterated that power outages would end by 2018 as different electricity projects are near completion.
With the PML-N government stepping up its campaigning efforts for the 2018 General Election, the party introduced the Prime Minister’s National Health Programme in Narowal covering 160,000 families.
The scheme was first launched in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, where it will cater to at least 3.5 million residents of the city.
The programme is expected to be expanded to 36 more districts in the province. It targets vulnerable people from low-income families, especially those who earn as low as Rs200 per day.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced on the occasion that around 160,000 families in Narowal will receive a health card under the scheme.
“People do not have enough money to buy medicine. They don’t even have enough money to travel to the hospital. I would wonder how they are managing,” he said, adding that the real duty of political workers is to serve the people of Pakistan.
Read more: Health cards will not end Pakistan’s healthcare nightmare
“The government will cover medical bills (per card per family) that amount to more than Rs250,000. If it exceeds that limit, the treasury will chip in,” the PM added.
Treatments for cardiovascular diseases — such as bypass surgeries or angioplasty treatments — as well as other complicated and expensive treatments are included in the scheme, he said.
Salient features of the PM’s National Health Programme Treatment for the underprivileged at both public and private hospitals without delay Rs50,000 on PM’s cards for treatment of common illnesses Rs300,000 set aside for treatment of serious medical conditions Limit can be extended to Rs600,000 if funds run out during treatment at a hospital Toll-free number set up for registering patients’ complaints Minister of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar termed it a ‘pro-women’ programme.
Read more: Caesarian deliveries to be discouraged under national health programme “Health is a devolved subject and it is in the care of the provinces, but no prime minister has done more for health than Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif,” she said.
“People are saying we are just electioneering. But please do not put [unncessary] obtacles in our programme because remember, you have to contest in elections too,” Tarar said.
Minister of Planning and Development of Pakistan Ahsan Iqbal, while addressing the audience, said back in 2013, Pakistan’s economy was struggling.
