LAHORE: Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Tuesday began distributing Sehat Insaf Sahulat Card for some 70,000 special persons and their families to avail treatment up to Rs720,000 per annum at the identified private hospitals across the country.

The chief minister announced provision of free treatment through cards for some 30,000 registered thalassaemia [major] patients, who need regular blood transfusion.

Speaking at the cards distribution ceremony amongst special persons on the occasion of International Day for Special Persons at 90 Shahrah-i-Quaid-i-Azam, Mr Buzdar said the government was making all-out efforts to transform special persons into vibrant and productive citizens of society.

Terming Sehat Insaf Card a PTI government’s flagship programme, the chief minister said the project would facilitate some one third of province’s population to avail healthcare facilities and treatment for chronic as well as major ailments at private hospitals.

Each card carrying Rs720,000 annual limit can be used at identified private hospitals

“Up till November, some 450,000 people had availed themselves of free treatment facilities, including 118,000 who received indoor treatment,” Mr Buzdar said.

The chief minister said the PTI government believed in helping the downtrodden and this vision led to launch the Punjab Ehsas Programme, which included Rs3 billion “Humqadam Programme” to offer monthly financial support to special persons. He also committed that the special persons would be given their due right of two per cent quota in government jobs. He said the government was also providing jobs to some 575 visually impaired persons.

He said the government was establishing four special education institutions in Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Sargodha and Okara at a total cost of Rs59 million. Eight special education primary and middle institutions were being upgraded as middle and secondary institutions, respectively, at a total cost of Rs63m.

Mr Buzdar said the government was also providing 14 new buses for pick and drop of special children at a cost of Rs89.2m.

Health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said the Punjab government had so far distributed over 4.5m health cards among people living below the poverty line in 30 districts so that they could avail free healthcare facilities. By the end of this year, she said, some 7.2m cards would be distributed across the province to serve 35m people at private hospitals [panel].

Dr Rashid said the government had hired the services of 140 private hospitals in the province instantly rather than going to construct over 100 hospitals in the public sector.

Urging the chief minister to include Thalassaemia [major] patients, who needed regular blood transfusion, in the card, the health minister said her department was also working to offer this free medical treatment facility to government employees as well as media workers. “The PTI’s Punjab government is now giving something tangible to its masses,” she said.

Specialised healthcare department secretary Nabeel Awan said the Punjab government this year allocated Rs277 billion, including Rs45bn, for new development schemes. “This year construction of nine new hospitals will begin while five teaching hospitals emergencies and services will be revamped,” Mr Awan said.

The chief minister distributed health cards among special persons who were invited to the ceremony.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2019