LHC moved against closure of Sehat Card programme

LAHORE:  A petition has been filed in Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday against the closure of the Sehat Sahulat programme in Punjab, ARY News reported.

The petition, filed by a citizen, has made the Punjab government and secretary health Punjab respondents in the case.

The petitioner maintained that the Punjab government had been offering free treatment to patients under Sehat Card scheme but the facility was withdrawn since the interim govt took charge of administrative affiars in the province.

He pleaded with the court to restore Sehat Card scheme in Punjab and order an investigation against those involved in the closure of health scheme.

Earlier, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb had termed reports regarding closure of Ehsaas program, panagahs [shelter homes] and Sehat Card program as baseless.

While rejecting the reports, Marriyum Aurangzeb had said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has clearly stated that public welfare projects of the previous government will continue.

She further said that the Sehat Card program will continue and rather they will bring improvement in it. “All those projects aimed at public welfare will be further improved,” she said and blamed the members of the previous government for launching propaganda against their closure.

What is Sehat card scheme?

The PTI govt launched the Sehat Insaf Card to provide free-of-cost medical services to low-income and poor households and covers medical bills up to Rs1 million annually.

Read: Punjab govt decides expanding scope of Sehat Insaf Cards

The Sehat scheme, first launched by the PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in 2016, was extended to the federal capital, Punjab, and Gilgit-Baltistan in 2021.