The Prime Minister said that Pakistan was created to be made an Islamic welfare country based on the principles of State of the Medina, adding Medina was a modern state based on two concepts - humanity and justice. He said that Pakistan, which is the only country created in the name of Islam, has moved away from its vision and there is need to come back to the vision to make it a welfare state with the same principles that were base of the State of Medina and one of such principles was to take care of the vulnerable.
The Prime Minister said that the government would make sure that students at universities are taught about the principles of the first Islamic state. The Prime Minister said that it is the responsibility of the government to protect vulnerable and Ehsaas Programme has been launched after a careful consideration and detailed study with the objective to take care of the people of the country through a coordinated effort by all the relevant organisations.
He said that the government would systematically cover every Pakistan under Sehat Insaf Card; however, the poor and most vulnerable are on top of the priority list. He said that health insurance is very important component of Ehsaas Programme because health problem to any one member of a family could ruin the whole family. So, the government wants to cover every individual gradually under health insurance so that he could get medical treatment up to over Rs 700,000 from the listed hospitals.
The Prime Minister also distributed Sehat Cards among the special people. Over two hundred thousands special persons have been selected by using National Database & Registration Authority (Nadra) data who would be provided health insurance. Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said that this joint collaboration between Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination and Ehsaas Programme would be a major step in poverty alleviation efforts as expensive treatment for all major diseases is covered in it and it will protect vulnerable families from economic shocks.
Mirza said through this social health protection initiative, all persons with disabilities and their families will be provided with free of cost health insurance to secure indoor health care services worth Rs 720,000 on panel hospitals through a very transparent and computerised mechanism.
The services which Sehat Insaf Card covers include open heart surgery, insertion of stents, management of cancer, neurosurgical procures, burn management, accident management, dialysis, intensive care management, deliveries, C-section and other medical/surgical procedures. The programme will also provide Rs 1,000 transportation cost to its beneficiaries at the time of their discharge from hospital. There is provision of burial support at Rs 10,000 per death (if death occurs in hospital).
There is facility of inter-provincial/inter-district portability for availing free of cost services from any hospital on the panel in Pakistan. Sehat Sahulat Program in Pakistan is the one of the leading initiatives of the current political government through which support is provided to poor families across the country.