PM Shehbaz launches Health Card for Islamabad, AJK & Gilgit-Baltistan

Islamabad (Web Desk): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday restored and extended the Prime Minister’s Health Card programme to Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, and reiterating the federal government’s pledge to guarantee quality medical care as a basic right for all citizens, without discrimination based on wealth or social status.

While addressing the inauguration ceremony, attended by the federal minister for health, the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, parliamentarians and senior officials including the health secretary and the chief secretary of AJK, the prime minister said the relaunch of the programme represented another important stride toward making healthcare services accessible at the grassroots level.

PM Shehbaz recalled that the health card initiative was originally launched in 2016 during the tenure of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and was subsequently expanded swiftly to various parts of the country.

Emphasising the central role of wellbeing in human development, he said health was the cornerstone of a meaningful life, noting that education, respectable employment and progress in every walk of life depended on it.

The prime minister observed that privileged sections of society had the means to seek costly treatment anywhere in the world, but the real responsibility of the state was to stand by those who could not afford care, including labourers, widows, orphans and daily wage earners.

He said when a poor worker dies due to lack of treatment, his family is pushed into enduring hardship, stressing that access to healthcare must be equal for everyone, from the prime minister to a street vendor.

Congratulating Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, the health secretary and their teams on reviving the programme, he called for complete transparency in its execution.

He stressed the need for independent, third-party monitoring to ensure that patients receive treatment at appropriate hospitals and in line with prescribed standards.

The premier added that honest and efficient implementation would not only serve the people but would also carry moral and spiritual reward.

Expressing confidence in the programme’s success, PM Shehbaz said that he would personally oversee its rollout through visits and inspections, working closely with Islamabad’s health authorities, lawmakers, the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan and the prime minister of AJK to ensure effective delivery.

Responding to a request for extending the health card to Sindh, he acknowledged the demand as reasonable and said he would personally raise the matter with the Sindh chief minister.

PM Shehbaz pointed out that the initiative was already progressing rapidly in Punjab, where billions of rupees were being invested in healthcare, and praised the provincial government for its efforts.

He said added that while other provinces had their own health programmes, steps would be taken to ensure comparable facilities were available across the country.

The prime minister concluded by expressing hope that the Prime Minister’s Health Card would continue to expand nationwide and bring relief to millions of households.

He ended his remarks with prayers for the success of the initiative and for Pakistan’s development and prosperity.

Earlier, Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Mustafa Kamal said the revived health card programme would offer free, cashless medical treatment to nearly 10 million residents of Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

He said the scheme would allow citizens to seek treatment without the fear of financial burden during times of illness and suffering.

The minister noted that a programme which had remained inactive was fully restored within four to five weeks, describing it as a significant administrative achievement.

He stressed that healthcare should not be confined to treating diseases alone, but must also focus on prevention, safe maternal care, child immunisation, access to clean drinking water and strengthening preventive health systems.

Sharing implementation details, Kamal said approximately 70 hospitals were being empanelled under the Prime Minister’s Health Card across Islamabad, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan, including 20 additional hospitals in the federal capital. He added that beneficiaries from these regions who were residing in Karachi would also be able to receive treatment at 16 designated hospitals in the city.

He said Sindh was currently the only province where the Prime Minister’s Health Card had not yet been introduced, while Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and the federal territories were already covered.

Referring to proposals discussed earlier, the premier said a plan had been prepared to extend the scheme to 10 rural and urban districts of Sindh at an estimated cost of Rs24 billion.

If funding was provided for two years, he added, the programme could become financially self-sustaining from the third year, expressing optimism that healthcare deprivation in Sindh could also be overcome.