ISLAMABAD: The proposed allocation of Rs10 billion for the Prime Minister’s National Health Programme (PMNHP) will help extend the programme to more areas raising the total number of the covered districts to 60 during the upcoming financial year.

“The programme was initially started in 23 districts but Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif directed us to extend it across the country. After the proposed allocation of funds the programme can be extended to 37 more districts,” PMNHP Director Dr Faisal Rifaq told Dawn.

“After the passage of the budget within a month, we will take the revised PC-I to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec). As soon as we get the approval, the process to extend the programme to the new districts will start,” he said.

With allocation of Rs10bn, the healthcare initiative will be available in 60 districts across country

The prime minister launched the programme on December 31, 2015, from Islamabad, describing it as a first step towards making Pakistan a welfare state. The scheme was supposed to be expanded to all parts of Punjab, Balochistan, AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) as the governments of Sindh and KP declined to become a part of it in which they also had to contribute. Later, the KP government started its own programme for a few districts.

However, in January this year, the prime minister announced his decision to extend the programme across the country.

An official of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) said the programme would be expanded to 11 districts in Fata, 10 districts in AJK, seven districts in Gilgit-Baltistan, 11 districts of Punjab, 12 districts of Balochistan, four districts each in Sindh and KP and the Islamabad capital territory with the number of beneficiary families reaching three million.

Under the programme, a family gets Rs50,000 for secondary care treatment which begins as soon as a patient is hospitalised. It covers all kinds of diseases, including maternity. Moreover, each family can get treatment costing Rs250,000 under the category of priority diseases such as cancer, accident, burn injuries, diabetic complications, heart bypass surgery and infections. Under this, a family can get a treatment costing Rs300,000 per year and the amount can be doubled with the support of the Pakistan Baitul Maal in case of an emergency.

Tobacco industry again wins

The tobacco industry again succeeded in getting their demand approved as Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced that there would be three tiers for cigarettes to enable the industry to compete with those preparing counterfeits and smuggling cigarettes.

On May 17, the ministry of NHS wrote to the finance minister and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Revenue Haroon Akhtar Khan, suggesting an increase in the federal excise duty (FED) on cigarettes.

The letter suggested that on the lower slab of all brands of cigarettes the FED should be increased from Rs32.98 to Rs44 (for a pack of 20 cigarettes) as it would increase the revenue by Rs39.5 billion and help check 0.65 million premature deaths caused by smoking.

On the other hand, the tobacco industry was trying to have three tiers/slabs for the FED but civil society was opposing it saying it would be disastrous for the youth of the country.

Chief Executive Officer of the Network for Consumer Protection Nadeem Iqbal told Dawn that the government had upheld the point of view of the tobacco industry and showed its helplessness to curb the counterfeit cigarettes.

“As the third tier (lower slab for tax) will be introduced, so even if the FED is increased the smokers will switch over to the lower tier/slab and will never quit smoking,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2017