CM opens Sehat Insaf Card scheme for Sahiwal division

LAHORE : Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Saturday inaugurated Sehat Insaf Card scheme for Pakpattan, Okara and Sahiwal.

The chief minister also inaugurated seven mega projects of Rs80 crores, including Police Complaint Cell, computerised driving licensing lab and Pukar, 15 control room for Sahiwal division.

Sardar Usman Buzdar also announced three mega projects of Rs1.19 billion, including upgrade of Sahiwal District Headquarters Hospital as a teaching hospital.

The CM arrived at Sahiwal Circuit House and inaugurated the model cattle market of Chichawatni, reconstruction of Quaid-e-Azam Cricket Stadium and installation of floodlights, Government Boys Degree College in Kameer, municipal committee office, provision of basic facilities in rural health centre (RHC) and project of 60-bed tehsil headquarters hospital in Renalakhurd. The CM also planted a sapling a part of the tree plantation campaign in the circuit house and prayed for success of the campaign.

Later, addressing the inaugural ceremony of Sehat Insaf Card scheme for the three districts, the CM said that people were deprived of quality health facilities in the past.

Sehat Insaf Card would provide an opportunity to the white-collar people to get free-of-cost treatment facility from the private hospitals in a dignified manner.

Treatment, medicines and test facilities would be made available to the Sehat Insaf Card holders free-of-cost as the bill would be paid by the Punjab government.

Travel expenditures would also be provided to the patients having Sehat Insaf Card. Sehat Insaf Card will provide treatment facilities and free follow-up for eight diseases to its holder. Sehat Insaf Card will also provide special treatment facilities to the mother and child. The CM said that 6.7 million families of 24 districts were benefiting from Sehat Insaf Card.

He said that Sehat Insaf Card had been given to 25 per cent population of Sahiwal, 29pc of Okara and 27 pc population of Pakpattan. He said more than 2 million people of Sahiwal division were getting Sehat Insaf Card. He maintained that Sehat Insaf Card would be given to the government employees under a phased programme. Similarly, Sehat Insaf Card will be distributed among ulema, mashaikh, Khateeb and students of seminaries, as well.

He said that setting up a computerised driving licensing lab, Pukar 15 and control room in Sahiwal would provide relief to the people. He said that establishment of the police complaint cell would help to resolve public complaints regarding police besides maintaining law and order in the division. Sardar Usman Buzdar said that seven development projects had been inaugurated at a cost of Rs80 crore for Sahiwal division.

He said model cattle market had been constructed at a cost of Rs29.3 crore in Chichawatni. Similarly, Rs4.26 crore has been spent on the installation of floodlights in Quaid-e-Azam Cricket Stadium in Sahiwal.

The construction project of Government Boys Degree College in Kameer had been completed at a cost of Rs11.8 crore. Office of Kameer Municipal Committee has been constructed at a cost of Rs10 million. Necessary facilities will be provided in Kameer RHC at a cost of Rs1.67 crore. Tehsil headquarter hospital in Renalakhurd has been completed at a cost of Rs18.61 crore.

Usman Buzdar said that 316 projects worth Rs68 billion had been included in ADP for Sahiwal. Funds for the ongoing development projects in Sahiwal would be provided on a priority basis.

The CM maintained that three mega projects for Sahiwal were being completed at a cost of Rs7.19 billion.

The district headquarters hospital will be awarded status of teaching hospital which would cost Rs6 billion. Dual carriageway from Arifwala to Bahawalnagar will be constructed at a cost of Rs.67 crore whereas Arifwala bypass, bypass from N-5 Royal Hotel to Sarwar Chowk will be constructed at a cost of Rs43 crore.

Fifty crore saplings would be planted under the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme. He said that the only plantation was not enough but proper care of the plants was also essential. He said that he had firm belief that enlightened citizens of Sahiwal would actively participate in the tree plantation campaign and play their due role in making the motherland clean and green.

He also distributed Sehat Insaf cards among the citizens of Sahiwal, Pakpattan and Okara. The ceremony was also addressed by Provincial Minister for Health Dr Yasmin Rashid and health secretary.

Provincial Ministers Dr Akhtar Malik, Noman Langrial, Ijaz Alam, secretaries and other officers concerned were also present.

Earlier, the chief minister held a meeting with journalists at Sahiwal Circuit House and listened to their demands and proposals. The CM assured the journalists that the demand for the journalist colony would be considered. A policy is being considered to set up journalist colony in every division.

He said good news would be brought to the journalists during his the next visit to Sahiwal. The commissioner should indentify land for the journalist colony in Sahiwal and present a report, he added.

The commissioner Sahiwal and other officials concerned were also present on the occasion.

The CM also visited the Sahiwal Coal Power Plant and planted a sapling there. He was told in the briefing on the generation and supply of electricity from the plant that the plant had generated 19.6 billion kilowatts of electricity. The CM praised the power generation and environment-friendly measures.

The Punjab government will continue cooperation for the coal power plant under the CPEC because this is the symbol of Pak-China friendship. The CM visited various parts of the plant.

Punjab Energy Minister Dr Akhtar Malik and other officers concerned were also present.