PM for extending national health program to entire country
- By Web Desk -
- Jan 30, 2017
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday said that the federal government will implement the Prime Minister’s National Health Program (PMNHP) in the entire country.
The PM was chairing a meeting to review progress on the implementation of Prime Minister’s National Health Program in Islamabad on Monday.
The prime minister directed the Ministry of National Health Services for extending the programme to the entire country including Fata, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir with stringent monitoring system and zero tolerance for inefficiency at the implementation level.
He said the remote areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh are more vulnerable to diseases and the prevailing poverty in those areas does not allow people to afford health care facilities.
Nawaz Sharif said that access to quality health-care services is the inherent right of every Pakistani, which was unfortunately denied to them for long.
Read More: National Health Programme to benefit families in Pakistan, says PM Nawaz
The PM said that it is only through provision of quality and affordable health services that the nation can achieve its full potential and gains on the economic and social fronts.
He said the government wants to reach out to the poorest of the poor with a comprehensive package of curative health services, as the combination of diseases and poverty could be lethal for any poor family. He said we will break this deadly nexus between poverty and diseases.
The prime minister said the government will ensure sustainability of this program through uninterrupted and continuous flow of public sector resources.
Appreciating the supportive role of National Database & Registration Authority and State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan to this landmark initiative, the prime minister expressed gratitude to all technical partners of the programme.
The Prime Minister’s National Health Program has been launched and services have been commenced in 11 districts namely Islamabad, Quetta, Lasbela, Loralai, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Skardu, Diamer, Rahim Yar Khan, Khanewal and Narowal. So far more than 800,000 families have been enrolled in the PMNHP and more than 12,000 individuals have been treated for various illnesses.