Over 56,000 Families Received Treatment Under Prime Minister National Health Program

As of January 31, 2018, more than 1,655,657 families have been enrolled in Prime Minister's National Health Programme and more than 56,000 families have been treated for various illnesses from 125 empanelled hospitals across Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Apr, 2018 ) :As of January 31, 2018, more than 1,655,657 families have been enrolled in Prime Minister's National Health Programme and more than 56,000 families have been treated for various illnesses from 125 empanelled hospitals across Pakistan.

According to Economic Survey of Pakistan released by Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance Miftah Ismail here Thursday, there is also an option of inter district portability in the programme which enables the enrolled beneficiaries and families to access quality indoor hospital services from any empaneled hospital, both in public and private sector.

Prime Minister's Health Programme is a social protection initiative to provide financial protection cover to all people in phases and the data of the Benazir Income Support Progamme will be used in this regard.

Under this programme, provision of free of cost health insurance to 3.2 million families (in Punjab, Balochistan and FATA in its two phases) living below poverty line of US$2 per day to access cashless healthcare services package of 0.3 million rupees per family per year was available in both public and private sector through a health card issued by a highly transparent mechanism.

Thousands of poor patients have been benefited from the treatment facilities including deliveries, cardiac surgeries, cancer and other major diseases in best private and government hospitals in their districts without spending a single rupee.

The National TB Control programme (NTP) has achieved over 80 percent Directly Observed Treatment System (DOTS) coverage in public sector and in the last five years the programme has provided care to more than half a million TB patients.

The programme is moving steadily to achieve the global targets of 70 percent case detection. Lady Health Workers (LHWs) services have visible impact on the health status of women and children in particular through improved hygiene, birth spacing, iron supplementation, greater immunization coverage and through a 106,000 (LHWs).

The total population covered under this programme spread over 60 percent in Balochistan, more than 80 percent in Punjab, 65 percent in Sindh and 60 percent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The target for fiscal year 2017-18 is 4,000 hospital beds, 5,000 new doctors, 700 dentists, 4,000 Nurses, 5,000 paramedics and 1,000 Traditional Birth Attendants and 8,000 LHWs.

Under the preventive programme, about 8 million children will be immunized and 25 million packets of ORS will be distributed during 2017-18. The government is dedicated to increase the health coverage to meet the growing demand of increasing population.

Health outcomes have improved over the years but some critical weakness include shortage of equipment and staff that continues to affect health system. There is a dire need to expand services delivery and address the shortfall in health related human resources and making better use of technology.

Public private partnership is needed to be encouraged and coverage of public health programmes like TB, Malaria, Hepatitis and other communicable diseases need to be expanded. Pakistan dietary guidelines for better nutrition (PDGN) has been prepared to provide nutrition information for healthy living to the masses.

Food Composition Table (FCT) for 350 raw and cooked food items with 25 nutrients based on data from 12 agro zones is under preparation. Task force for Early Childhood Development (ECD) has been established and Letter of Intent (LOI) is signed nutrition partner to formulate National Policy Framework.

Pakistan Food Fortification Strategy has been revised to take up sustained actions to overcome micronutrient deficiencies (hidden hunger).