Pb govt to provide universal health coverage to every citizen by Dec: Usman Buzdar

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Monday said the Punjab government had decided to give universal health coverage cards to every citizen of the province by December 2021.

He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting about the health department at his office. He was briefed about departmental performance, universal health coverage programme and amendments in autonomous medical institutions act (Law).

The Chief Minister said that it was a revolutionary step of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government as such a wonderful programme had not been introduced by any previous government.

Usman Buzdar gave in-principle approval to necessary amendments in the autonomous medical institutions act to streamline the appointment of principals and medical superintendents of medical institutions and to deal with other matters.

"Effective monitoring will improve performance along with streamlining the appointment of work charge employees", he added.

The CM maintained the universal health coverage programme would provide free quality healthcare facilities and announced to further extend the scope of mother and child hospitals to Rajanpur, Layyah, Attock and Sialkot.

He said the PTI government was establishing modern hospitals in backward areas to provide quality healthcare to the locals at their doorsteps as the past governments ignored far-flung areas.

Provincial ministers- Raja Basharat, Dr Yasmeen Rashid, health secretaries and others attended the meeting.