PM Imran Khan has approved Sehat Insaf Card for Islamabad: Asad Umar

• Asad Umar refers to it as a "huge decision" by PM Imran Khan for the people of Islamabad
• All citizens of the city will be entitled to the Sehat Insaf Card
• Sehat Insaf Card to be introduced in Punjab, GB and Islamabad as well

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar revealed PM Imran Khan's "huge announcement" for Islamabad, saying that the premier has approved the Sehat Insaf Card scheme for the city's residents. 

"Huge decision [taken] for the citizens of Islamabad by the prime minister," tweeted Umar on Friday. "The prime minister has given the green signal to introduce the Sehat Insaf Card system for every citizen of the city," he added. 

The minister said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the first province to approve the health insurance card, adding that the system will be implemented in Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad as well. 

What is the Sehat Insaf Card all about?

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government's 'Sehat Insaf Card programme' is an initiative that aims to provide Rs1mn insurance to every family in the province by January 2021.

Speaking to Geo News, Sehat Insaf Card programme Director Riyaz Tanoli had said that health insurance will be provided to people not on the basis of the health card but through their National Identity Cards (NICs).

"From October to January 2021, all families in the province will be provided free health insurance," he had said.

He had revealed that the government aims to introduce the programme in Malakand division by October 2020 and in the Hazara division by November 2020. The Sehat Sahulat programme will then be started in Mardan and Peshawar divisions by December.

The KP government will pay Rs2,850 per annum to an insurance company which will provide free medical treatment to each family amounting to Rs1,000,000 per year.

"In tribal districts, work on the Sehat Sahulat programme is being carried out since July 2019," he had said. "It is obligatory upon every family [that wishes to avail the programme] to register with NADRA. In 2017, 64% of KP's population were deriving benefits from the Sehat Sahulat programme. So far, more than Rs10bn have been spent on people's medical treatment," added Tanoli.