Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday relaunched the state-run health insurance initiative, widely known as the Sehat Card Programme, restoring free healthcare coverage for residents of Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Addressing the launch ceremony in Islamabad on Friday, the prime minister said access to healthcare was a fundamental right of every citizen and stressed that medical facilities must reach people at their doorsteps. He said the revival of the Sehat Card marked another swift step by his government to serve the public. PM Shehbaz said the scheme was the same initiative first launched in 2016 under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, recalling that it was initially introduced in Punjab, Balochistan, the then Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Islamabad Capital Territory, with plans for gradual expansion.