KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on Thursday brought some 11,500 of its employees under a medical facility, with Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab claiming that it was the first municipal institution in the country to introduce a healthcare insurance policy for its workers.

The ceremony marking the launch of the facility was staged at the KMC headquarters, where medical insurance cards, service vehicles and laptops were distributed.

The event was attended by Municipal Commissioner Abrar Jaffer, Pakistan Peoples Party parliamentary leader in the KMC City Council, Karamullah Waqasi, Deputy Parliamentary Leader Dil Muhammad, President of the Peoples Labour Bureau Karachi Division, Aslam Samoo, elected representatives, and KMC officials.

On the occasion, the mayor said that in the past, the KMC employees had to seek recommendations for medical treatment, while emergency and hospital-related files moved through several departments before reaching the Mayor’s Office for approval of expenses.

He remarked that healthcare was a matter in which even a few minutes’ delay can lead to serious consequences. Therefore, the current City Council had adopted a labour-friendly policy and decided to provide health insurance to employees.

He said that under the health insurance policy, KMC employees would receive medical coverage ranging from Rs150,000 to Rs600,000 and would be able to obtain treatment at 200 hospitals through health cards.

The mayor said that the KMC was working on the principles of transparency and accountability to ensure that citizens received their rights promptly.

He added that the KMC, in collaboration with the World Bank and the Sindh government, was working on various development projects to provide modern and convenient facilities to citizens.

The mayor said that citizens had previously faced severe difficulties and had to visit multiple offices for property mutation and obtaining NOCs. To resolve these issues, the KMC had decided to introduce a one-window operation system under which citizens will be able to apply online for various NOCs through a website or mobile application instead of repeatedly visiting offices.

He added that challans and other related procedures would also be processed online, helping reduce corruption and making services more accessible.

He further said that computers and other necessary equipment had been provided to different departments to eliminate obstacles in office work and ensure that no employee could cite a lack of facilities or faulty computers as an excuse for delays.

Additional vehicles had also been provided to improve public service delivery.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2026