PM Khan announces free health insurance, new hospitals for Layyah
Rs720,000 health allowance for every family
Photo: Imran Khan/Facebook
Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Wednesday free health insurance for the people of South Punjab’s Layyah.
“The government will provide universal health coverage of Rs720,000 to every person in the district,” the premier said in a ceremony of the Insaf Sehat Sahulat Programme. “This will help people avail free medical facilities at both private and public hospitals across Punjab.”
If a family runs out of insurance money, the government will provide them Rs300,000 more to meet their health expenses.
The PM said that despite being surrounded by financial problems such as debts and loans, the government aims to empower the poor segments of the society because this was the responsibility of a welfare state.
“Universal health coverage is found in very few countries across the world where the government is completely paying for the public’s health expenses,” he said.
The insurance will provide a safety net to poor people. They won’t have to worry about hospital bills anymore, the prime minister remarked.
He pointed out that the coverage will benefit the health system of Pakistan. “We will provide low-interest and duty-free land to private hospitals so that more of them are built.”
To meet the challenges of child mortality, the government is building five mother and childcare hospitals in Layyah. An inclusive Rs4 billion package has been announced for underdeveloped Punjab districts.
“Basic health units in the districts have been solarised to counter electricity shortages,” the premier said, adding that the government wants to develop poor areas of Punjab to prevent over-urbanisation of cities such as Lahore and Islamabad.
PM Khan added that to counter the problem of bandits in the area, the Punjab inspector-general has been instructed to prepare a team with Rangers personnel to fight them.
