LAHORE: The Punjab government’s ‘Implementation of Universal Health Insurance under Health Insurance Programme in Punjab’ costing Rs332 billion was discussed at a meeting at the planning & development board on Thursday.

Presided over by P&D Board chairman Abdullah Khan Sumbal, the meeting said since the scheme was to provide health insurance for indoor healthcare services to all citizens of the province to reduce Out-Of-Pocket expenditure, effective efforts must be made to implement the project in true letter and spirit.

Prior to the meeting, a series of consultative sessions were also held in the SHC&ME Department, Finance Department and the P&D Board. The board of directors of the PHIMC recommended the PC-I of Rs332 billion project and submitted to the P&D board through the SHC&ME Department. The implementation of health insurance for 100% of population is to be completed by December 2021.

“We appreciate active participation of all the stakeholders and observe that concentrated efforts have been put in to firm up recommendations so as to take this dig initiative forward purposefully. Experts and consultants inducted have spent lot of time to ensure diligence. A good and inclusive debate generated during PDWP meeting has resulted most of the questions being answered adequately, he stated,” Mr Sumbal said.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2021