Sehat Card Plus Scheme launched in DI Khan, Tank

DERA ISMAIL KHAN/TANK: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan during a one day visit to Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts on Monday formally extended the Sehat Card Plus Scheme to these southern districts thus completing the facility for the entire population of the province.

Besides Federal Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister was accompanied by provincial cabinet members Taimur Salim Jaghra, Ziaullah Bangash, Abdul Kareem and others. With the completion of the extension process, KP became the first province in the country to provide free healthcare to its all population.

The chief minister also inaugurated the work on Dera Ismail Khan Economic Zone. The zone will be set up on 189 acres of land having more than 100 industrial units. It will create around 30, 000 jobs whereas an investment worth Rs.1.5 billion is expected.

Mahmood Khan performed the ground breaking of the construction of access roads to the historic tourist spot Shaikh Badin to revive it along modern lines to promote tourism activities in KP southern parts. The project would be completed with the estimated cost of Rs.03 billion.

The chief minister inaugurated upgrading and standardization of Dera Ismail Khan Sports Complex, indoor sports facilities for women and a number of other projects to promote sports activities. These projects would be completed with an estimated cost of Rs.560 million.

Earlier, the chief minister visited Tank district where he inaugurated district uplift and beautification project worth Rs.700 million. He also launched the extension of Sehat Card Plus Scheme to the entire population of the district.

Addressing the inaugural ceremonies, the chief minister congratulated people of the province on the successful extension of Sehat Card Plus to the entire population of the province. He said that Sehat Card Plus was a milestone achievement and unprecedented initiative of the KP government towards establishing a welfare state under which the entire population of the province would get free health care facility on the basis of the national identity card.

The chief minister said the KP government was working for the wellbeing of the common man and all the promises made with the people would be honoured. He said that under the Sehat Card Plus Scheme people would get free treatment facilities up to Rs one million per household per annum. Besides kidney and liver transplants other treatment facilities were also being included in Sehat Card Plus to make it a comprehensive package, he added.

Of initiatives of the KP government to promote trade and industrial activities in the province, he said 11 economic zones had been established in the province whereas work was in progress on the economic zones in other parts of the province such as Chitral, Haripur, Bunner, Bannu and other districts.