PM’s Health Programme races towards Mardan

Islamabad: Plans are afoot to expedite the provision of health services to 33,000 beneficiaries of the Prime Minister’s National Health Programme (PMNHP) in district Mardan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Presiding over a meeting on Tuesday, Minister of State for Health Services Saira Afzal reviewed the current status of the PMNHP and directed staff to expedite launch of the programme in Mardan. The meeting was also attended by Secretary Health Muhammad Ayub Shaikh, Additional Secretary Dr. Hashim Popalzai, Director General Health Dr. Assad Hafeez, Director Technical Dr. Faisal Rafiq, GM State Life Nadeem Bessey, and Project Incharge State Life Mohammad Ashar.

The meeting was informed that services for 300,000 families of district Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad (Sindh) and Kohat (KP) have been started with effect from June 1; that around 140,000 families of Bajaur and Khyber Agency (FATA) have been enrolled in the programme; and that more than 1,000 have been treated from various empanelled hospitals across Pakistan. Khyber Agency is one of the districts where highest ratio of coronary artery bypass has been recorded among programme beneficiaries.