The federal government has finally decided to resume the health card facility for over 10 million residents of Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit Baltistan, reported 24NewsHD TV Channel.
Health Card Scheme to start from January 16, 2026 and will remain in force till June 30, 2027. According to the federal government, the health card is an important public welfare scheme. The people express joy over the restoration of the health card as the decision is being welcomed by the masses.
Earlier, it was reported that the PC-1 worth of Rs40 billion has been approved by the National Steering Committee of Sehat Sahulat Programme (SSP) chaired by Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal. The service will be resumed from Jan 16.
The meeting of the committee was attended by health secretary Hamid Yaqoob, special secretary of health and CEO of SSP Arshad Khan, along with members of the National Steering Committee.
The committee reviewed progress on the restoration and launch of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) services to all permanent resident families of ICT, AJK, and Gilgit-Baltistan. The CEO of Federal SSP Arshad Khan shared prime minister’s directives for immediate restoration of the services.
The committee approved the revised PC-I with an estimated cost of approximately Rs40 billion, extending up to 30th June 2027, to provide free hospitalisation services to all permanent resident families of ICT, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan under the UHC model of Federal Sehat Sahulat Programme.
It was also decided to extend existing contracts with State Life Insurance Corporation and Nadra through addenda to ensure uninterrupted services, while outstanding liabilities will be cleared from the PSDP as per the prime minister’s directions.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had first launched the health card programme on Dec 31, 2015.