……By Iftikhar Ahmad …….
FAISALABAD, Feb 18 (APP): Sehat Card – mitigating suffering of downtrodden Advanced healthcare, once considered to be a privilege of the affluent only, is now becoming common for all segments of society through pro-public and innovative health initiatives of the present government.
With successful experience in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the government decided to make it a nation-wide project, extending it to different cities of the Punjab province. Free of cost medical treatment and medication through Sehat Card was a dream aligned with the manifesto of the PTI led government.
After covering four divisions of the Punjab during first phase, the program has now been expanded to central Punjab including Faisalabad division. Prime Minister Imran Khan had himself distributed health cards among the people at Faisalabad to facilitate approximately 14.179 million persons at 2.21 million households.
“This is our flagship program and after its success in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI government is extending it to Punjab. It will cover every family to get free treatment up to Rs.one million at the hospitals of their own choice,” said Chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs Faiz Ullah Kamoka.
Kamoka who also hails from Faisalabad has informed that its successful operation in KPK had inspired other provinces as well. “Prime Minister Imran Khan is himself taking keen interest in this scheme.”
“This program has also been widely appreciated by the masses. Its module is very innovative as the government will directly pay the health charges to the concerned hospital instead of paying amount to the concerned family,” Kamoka said.
Sehat Card would cover large spectrum of diseases from simple to complicated ones, facilitating every individual across the division especially the poor, to avail health facility at hospitals of their choice. Initially major surgeries were included in the scheme but now surgeries of other complicated diseases have also been covered in this scheme.
In the past successive governments had exploited this basic need for political mileage. But, the present government bore the torch to provide health cover to every individual and it would benefit large number of people at four districts of Faisalabad division.
“There are 7.875 million people in Faisalabad district, 2.744 million in Jhang, 2.19 million in Toba Tek Singh and 1.37 million people in Chiniot district. Similarly, 1.225 million households are in Faisalabad, 0.428 million in Jhang, 0.338 million in Toba Tek Singh and 0.221 million households in Chiniot district,” said a spokesman of the local administration.
He further stated that Faisalabad district has six Tehsils with a rural population of 4113,582 individuals belonging to 631,434 families. Similarly, there are 3761,208 urban residents with 593,979 families across the district.
Further bifurcating, the spokesman said, there are 512,284 families in Tehsil City, 224,460 families in Tehsil Sadar, 228,790 families in Tehsil Jaranwala, 99,057 families in Tehsil Sammundri, 109,520 families in Tehsil Tandlianwala and 51,302 families in Tehsil Chak Jhumra.
Having a look on figure of other districts in Faisalabad division, this program would benefit 427,513 families in district Jhang, 338,469 families in district Toba Tek Singh and 218,607 families in Chiniot district.
“This is an appreciable initiative of the government,” said Chief Executive Officer (CEO) District Health Authority Dr Bilal Ahmad. “This ambitious scheme will provide free treatment particularly to the lower middle class which is badly affected by the corona meltdown.”
“Since many of the poor could not get proper treatment for their diseases due to paucity of funds, Health Card would now enable them to avail healthcare facility at hospitals of their choice,” Dr Bilal said.
The government has inducted a number of hospitals including Abu Bakar Clinic, Madinah Teaching Hospital, Abwa Hospital and Research Center, Aslam Memorial Zakariyya Hospital, Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology, Fazal Elahi Chattha Hospital, Faisalabad International Hospital, Independent University Hospital, Khair-un-Nisa Hospital, Maqsooda Zia Hospital, Mian Muhammad Trust Hospital, Mujahid Hospital, PINUM Hospital, Rathoor Hospital, Sughra Siddique Hospital, etc. to accept this card and provide quality treatment to patients.
“Initiation of Health Cards in Punjab is another step of the PTI government towards fulfillment of the promises made to people in its manifesto,” said Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Chaudhary Lateef Nazar.
“This scheme would not provide best possible health facilities to people but also incentivize the investors to setup quality hospitals particularly in the far-flung rural areas,” he said. “It was a major leap towards transforming Pakistan into a welfare state envisioned by Prime Minister Imran Khan.”
Meanwhile, the card holders have also appreciated this initiative as they believe to their decades’ old dream coming true.
“I belong to a poor family and was worried about treatment after suffering from bone fracture in left leg,” said Muhammad Asghar, a resident from Okara district, who had come to Faisalabad for treatment at Mujahid hospital.
“But, luckily I was awarded Sehat Card during first phase in Punjab. This facility enabled me to get free treatment from qualified orthopedic surgeons, thanks God,” Asghar said.
Riffat Bibi wife of Allah Rakha, hailing from Sangla Hill also praised the government for this initiative. “When Prime Minister launched health scheme, I immediately got health cards that helped me to get free treatment for my sick son Muhammad Yousuf.”
