Information minister rejects PML-N’s claim about ‘Insaf Health Card’ scheme

Published February 6, 2019
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry says health insurance scheme is beneficial to public. — File photo
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry says health insurance scheme is beneficial to public. — File photo

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday rejected the claim of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) that the ‘Insaf Health Card’ scheme was a copy of the project launched by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

In a tweet, he said the PML-N had actually copied the scheme launched by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in November 2015. The PML-N copied the scheme but failed to achieve its target, he added.

“Noon [PML-N] copied it and inaugurated a PM health card scheme which never reached the masses. If it had reached at proper level they would have maintained a database like the KP government did,” Mr Chaudhry said in the tweet.

The information minister also said that the health insurance scheme was beneficial to the general public and its failure was one of the reasons that the people did not vote for the PML-N, otherwise it would have won the elections with a two-thirds majority like the PTI won in KP.

The ‘Sehat Insaf Card’ scheme was launched by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday as the first phase of the countrywide programme to provide free medical treatment to around 80 million people.

However, the PML-N criticised it as a re-enactment of the “PM’s National Health Programme” launched by then prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 2016. It was initially launched for Islamabad with the target to expand it to other parts of the country, including Punjab, Baloch­istan, Islamabad and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas as it was not part of KP at that time. But the governments of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had declined to become part of the federal government’s programme.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2019

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.