ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will launch the National Health Programme in Quetta on Monday.

At least 76,000 poor families have been selected from Quetta through the data of Benazir Income Support Programme for giving them free healthcare facilities under the programme. Over 26,000 families have been enrolled and 50,000 will be enrolled soon.

The prime minister had launched the programme for Islamabad on Dec 31 last year. It will be expanded to all parts of Balochistan, Punjab, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments have declined to become part of the federal government’s programme.

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 care. Moreover, each family can get treatment of Rs250,000 under the category of priority diseases which include cancer, accident, burn injuries, diabetic complications, heart bypass and infections.

The amount can be doubled in case of emergency and it will be contributed by the Pakistan Baitul Mal.

The Minister for National Health Services, Saira Afzal Tarar, and a team of her ministry had earlier reached Quetta to finalise arrangements of the inaugural ceremony to be held at the Governor House.

The Director of the National Health Programme, Dr Faisal Rifaq, told Dawn that there was a sense of deprivation among the people of Balochistan. “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has decided to inaugurate the programme in Quetta in order to give a feeling that the federal government cares about the people of Balochistan.”

Over 130,000 families (7,80,000 individuals) have been enrolled and around 2,700 patients have received free treatment from the private and public sector hospitals in Islamabad and Muzaffarabad so far.

As many as 3.1 million families (18m people), from 23 districts of the country, will be enrolled by the end of current year.

Secretary of NHS Ministry Ayub Sheikh told Dawn on Sunday that the programme would give poor families access to treatment of secondary as well as priority diseases, through insurance paid by the federal and provincial governments.

“About 51,000 families have been enrolled in Islamabad and 55,000 in Muzaffarabad. About 2,000 people have received treatment in Islamabad and 700 in Muzaffarabad,” he said.

“During a survey 72 per cent patients said that they were fully satisfied with the scheme.”

Dr Faisal said five private hospitals were on the panel of hospitals in Quetta and efforts were being made to include the Combined Military Hospital.

The process had been started for launching the programme in district Kotli, he said.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2016