ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal has acknowledged that healthcare services at hospitals empanelled under the Prime Minister’s Health Card scheme in Gilgit-Baltistan need significant improvement.
Speaking during a meeting with the provincial ministers for health and information from Gilgit-Baltistan, the federal health minister said that the Prime Minister’s Health Card has now been launched in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to ensure free and quality medical treatment for citizens.
Mustafa Kamal stated that he would personally visit Gilgit-Baltistan to review the performance and facilities of hospitals included in the health card panel. “Our priority is to ensure that permanent residents of Gilgit-Baltistan receive free and quality healthcare services without any hurdles,” he said.
During the meeting, the provincial ministers briefed the federal minister on challenges facing the health sector in the region, including infrastructure gaps and service delivery issues at panel hospitals. The federal minister assured them that the government is utilizing all available resources to strengthen healthcare facilities in both Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.
He further said that the federal government has provided three vehicles to Gilgit-Baltistan to support health-related operations. Emphasizing accountability, Mustafa Kamal noted that the services offered under the health card scheme would be closely monitored and improved where necessary.
The provincial ministers thanked the federal government for extending the Prime Minister’s Health Card facility to the region.
The Prime Minister’s Health Card for Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir was officially launched on January 17 by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with Health Minister Mustafa Kamal.
The initiative is a continuation of the health card program originally introduced in 2016 and is expected to benefit nearly 10 million people by providing free medical treatment at the time of need.
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