BISP Sehat Card major step towards welfare state: PM

The government will launch Benazir Sehat Card under Benazir Income Support Programme by end of March to provide health insurance to the poor families. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani will be the chief guest at the launch of Benazir Sehat Card, a cashless card under BISP in Faisalabad will provide health insurance up to Rs 25,000 per family for 90,000 poorest of the poor families, consisting of 550,000 individuals. Talking to BISP Chairman Farzana Raja at the PM’s House, the prime minister appreciated the scheme and said that the redress of health problems of the poor would be a step forward to alleviate poverty.
The prime minister directed the BISP chairperson to roll out this scheme throughout the country, extending coverage to the six million families who have been benefiting from the BISP since its launching. Gilani said the health insurance coverage to the down-trodden section of the society was a major stride towards making Pakistan a welfare state and BISP would prove a catalyst to achieve this cherished goal. Earlier, the BISP chairperson apprised the prime minister of the Benazir Sehat Card.
She said a list of deserving families had been prepared on the basis of poverty census which was perceived as the most credible source of data. The BISP chairperson said that the scheme focused on the mother and child health care because they were the most vulnerable and prone to diseases due to age and gender. She said the premium of Sehat Card would be paid by BISP like its life insurance programmes, adding that 2.5 million people would benefit from the scheme.
Meanwhile, the BISP has formally signed an agreement with State Life Insurance Corporation (SLIC) to provide health insurance under `Waseela-e-Sehat’ to its beneficiary families, an official of BISP told APP on Tuesday.
The pilot project of health insurance scheme to be launched in Faisalabad district would be extended to the beneficiary families all over the country subsequently. Under the pilot project of health insurance, 75,000 beneficiary families of Faisalabad district would benefits from the scheme, the official said. For providing quality health services, the SLIC has signed agreements with six hospitals from private sector in the district and is also negotiating with the Punjab government to sign similar agreements with public sector hospitals.
The official said a comprehensive layout plan was being made for the last one year to present this unique gift to beneficiary families, adding this was the first-ever such endeavour in the history of the country. The programme was launched on the pattern of social welfare three years back and now it has become a national asset for its services to the poor people of the country. A considerable reduction in poverty could be expected as a result of this measure in next 10 years.