HYDERABAD: Out of the 600,000 poverty stricken people in Hyderabad district, 123,526 have been selected in the first phase to avail the benefits of free medical treatment under Prime Minister’s Health Cards Scheme.
Under the scheme, the beneficiaries could get medical treatment free of cost at Isra University Hospital Hala Naka, Ma Jee Hospital Autobahn Road, Red Crescent Hospital Latifabad Unit No-6 and Red Crescent Latifabad Unit-2.
A non-governmental organisation called Management Development Foundation (MDF) received the task of the distribution of health cards to the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries have been selected by NADRA and BISP, keeping in view the Poverty Score Card Range from 0-32 while the State Life Corporation of Pakistan has been entrusted with the responsibility to provide free medical treatment to patients admitted in panelled hospitals at Hyderabad under the scheme, said MDF Chief Officer Mustafa Rajpur.
Through this scheme, family members including husband, wife and unmarried children will be provided medical cover. The patients would avail primary medical facility for the ailments pertaining to postpartum disorders, maternal and neo-natal child health and accidental fatalities with an amount of Rs 50,000 as medical compensation, he informed, and added that secondary medical facility will cover the ailments of diabetes, cardiac problems, cancer, liver failure, renal failure, Hepatitis B and C, AIDS and bone Injuries with an amount of Rs 250,000 as medical compensation.
The MDF will distribute health cards among the beneficiaries by establishing Card Distribution Centers (CDCs) at prominent public places such as schools, hospitals, union council offices or community places in order to enable the effective access of beneficiaries towards the CDCs.
Currently, 19 CDCs have been established in Hyderabad for the distribution of cards with the condition of registering the beneficiaries, along with providing guidance to avail the health benefits in hospitals, he said, and maintained that OPD will not be covered under the said scheme and the admission in hospitals is mandatory for the facility to be availed.