SWABI: People have alleged that the provincial government’s newly-launched health card scheme is being carried out on the basis of a previous survey conducted for the Benazir Income Support Programme, thus depriving many deserving people of the Sehat cards.

Talking to reporters on Sunday, the residents who were not covered in the ongoing distribution of the Sehat Insaf Card (SIC) scheme, criticised the programme, saying many poor people could not get the Sehat cards. Terming the BISP survey not genuine, they called for conducting a fresh survey before starting the health card programme.

Meanwhile, officials of the NGO, which is tasked with distributing the SIC among the people, also admitted on condition of anonymity that several poverty-stricken people approached them for award of the SIC but they could not help them because they had to follow the previous BISP survey.

Meanwhile, sources told Dawn that though the NGO, Salik Development Foundation, had been asked to complete the distribution process of Sehat cards by end of the current month it was unlikely that the job would be complete by the stipulated time.

The sources said a total of 113,000 cards would be given to the people, adding about 1,500 to 2,500 people were expected to be awarded the cards in each union council.

Meanwhile, distribution of the health cards is seen as a move to lure the people into the PTI as the district government is held by the ANP-led coalition.

Mohammad Khitab, a PTI leader from Minai village, said people in his locality considered the card a ploy of PTI leadership to lure people into joining the party.

Rangaiz Khan, former PTI district president, said as the scheme allowed each member of a family to have Rs0.5 million worth of free treatment in both public and private sector hospitals of KP, some people were trying to get the same through illegal means, but the PTI would ensure utmost transparency.

Fazal Khan of Maneri Bala village, who got a Sehat card, told Dawn that it was a dream for his family to have first-class treatment facilities.

The people who got the card said that all the credit went to the PTI leadership who initiated the programme, thus realising its slogan of bringing ‘change’ to people’s lives.

POOR STUDENTS GET CASH: Swabi Tehsil Nazim Wahid Shah said on Sunday that the tehsil government would continue to encourage the talented and poor students of public sector schools by awarding them cash.

He was addressing a function organised in honour of talented students in a public sector school.

On the occasion, MPA Babar Salim said education was the right of every child and it was responsibility of the government to provide the required facilities to schools.

The bright students were given Rs150,000 cash on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2017