‘Silent revolution on the march’: PM launches Rs400 bn health insurance programme in Punjab

LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday said a silent revolution was in the making through the government’s initiative of house construction loans by banks for the salaried class after the government removed all the impediments.

Addressing the launching ceremony of Naya Pakistan National Sehat Card here on Friday, he said people had applied for loans worth Rs260 billion, out of which Rs110 billion worth loans had been approved and Rs34 billion disbursed already.

He said under the Kamyab Pakistan Programme, around 2 million people had been given interest-free loans for house building. Moreover, under the same programme, a loan of Rs0.5 million was also being given to farmers and others to establish their own businesses. He launched the distribution of Naya Pakistan National Sehat Card among the entire population of Punjab province, enabling every family to avail medical treatment of up to Rs1 million a year at both government and private hospitals.

Calling it a “revolutionary step”, the prime minister said, “neither everyone can take, nor any of the governments in the past took such a bold decision of providing Rs1 million health insurance to the entire population”.

He lauded the Punjab chief minister, health minister and the whole team involved and said the Punjab government had moved on the course which would uplift the country, in pursuance of the forefathers’ “vision to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state”.

He said under the programme 30 million families would benefit from the health insurance facility which would cost Rs400 billion to the government. He said our forefathers had dreamed to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state but, unfortunately, it could not be developed on that course.

Citing the state of Madina as the first welfare state, which fulfilled all basic responsibilities of its citizens, the prime minister said unfortunately, no such state was found in the Muslim world rather the Scandinavian states were close to that model.

Naming Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the prime minister said a state always believed in inclusive growth and had compassion for the weaker segment. He said any individual or nation abiding by the teachings of Allah Almighty would get His blessings.

He said all the Scandinavian countries did not have more resources than Pakistan, but they were more prosperous by having adopted the model of a welfare state. “Today, the Punjab government took such a step to put the country on the course of uplifting this nation.

“We want to make Pakistan a state for which it was established. If we don’t opt that course, it will be great treachery with the Indian Muslims who had voted for it,” he remarked.

He said some leaders in the past claimed to make Pakistan an Asian Tiger, which could in no way be greater than the idea of a welfare state like Madina. The prime minister told the gathering that the time would prove that initiative of Sehat Card, involving almost equal funding, would have far better outcomes than the Metro Buses or Orange Train. He said all families across the Punjab province would get the Sehat Card by March 2022 and also resolved to replicate the model in Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The prime minister said the Sehat Card would lead towards the development of health infrastructure across the province as it would attract the private sector to build hospitals even in remote areas.

He said the government would close down the government hospitals in far-flung areas where doctors did not want to be posted, to save the cost. He said the government would incentivise the private sector by allowing duty-free import of their equipment to expand the network of private hospitals.

Through the Ehsaas Ration scheme, almost 54% of the population was being given a 30% subsidy on the purchase of ghee, flour and pulses. Earlier, the prime minister also distributed Sehat Cards among the beneficiaries.

In his address, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said the provincial government had allocated Rs399 billion health budget compared to Rs169 billion from 2013-18. He said 23 big hospitals were nearing completion, the up-gradation of 158 health facilities had been completed while 78 projects were in the pipeline. He said the provincial government was spending Rs37.5 billion on the purchase of medicines. Moreover, he said the government would soon fulfil its commitment by filling 100,000 vacancies.