PM Shehbaz relaunches Sehat Card Scheme for 10 million people in Islamabad, AJK and GB

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday relaunched the state-run health insurance initiative, widely known as the Sehat Card Programme, restoring free healthcare coverage for residents of Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Addressing the launch ceremony in Islamabad on Friday, the prime minister said access to healthcare was a fundamental right of every citizen and stressed that medical facilities must reach people at their doorsteps. He said the revival of the Sehat Card marked another swift step by his government to serve the public.

PM Shehbaz said the scheme was the same initiative first launched in 2016 under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, recalling that it was initially introduced in Punjab, Balochistan, the then Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Islamabad Capital Territory, with plans for gradual expansion.

وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف کا صحت کارڈ کی افتتاحی تقریب سے خطاب https://t.co/gj5NIhTRbO

— PMLN (@pmln_org) January 16, 2026

The programme was later reintroduced in 2019 by the PTI-led government under the name Sehat Insaf Card, with changes that included health coverage of up to Rs720,000 per family per year. Individuals earning less than Rs150,000 annually were also included, provided they contributed a nominal amount towards the insurance plan.

“Nothing is more valuable than health,” the prime minister said, adding that good health was essential for education, employment, sports and daily life. He announced that Sehat Cards were now being issued to residents of Islamabad, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Congratulating Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, the health secretary and their team, PM Shehbaz said that while elites could afford expensive treatment, it was extremely difficult for ordinary citizens, labourers and orphaned children to bear medical costs. He said when breadwinners died without treatment, entire families were pushed into hardship.

He reiterated that health and access to treatment were the rights of every Pakistani and said the programme would be monitored through third-party oversight to ensure transparency and quality of care. He also expressed hope that the initiative would continue at pace under close supervision.

The prime minister said the programme was already operational in Punjab, where billions of rupees were being spent on healthcare, and added that it was running successfully in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well. He said he would discuss the extension of the initiative to Sindh with the provincial chief minister.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, speaking at the ceremony, said the programme had been discontinued in federal territories for the past three years and its revival would now benefit nearly 10 million people living in Islamabad, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Under the scheme, beneficiaries will be able to receive treatment without cash payments by using their Sehat Card at designated hospitals. Kamal said the initiative had effectively brought back a programme that had remained dormant and emphasised that healthcare also included disease prevention, maternal health, child immunisation and access to clean drinking water.

He highlighted pressure on public hospitals, noting that doctors who should ideally treat 35 patients often had to attend to more than 350 due to limited capacity.

Kamal announced that a total of 70 hospitals would be added across Islamabad, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan under the programme. He also said that residents holding CNICs from these regions would be able to receive treatment at 16 hospitals in Karachi.

However, he said Sindh remained the only province where the Sehat Card could not currently be used. He said 10 urban and rural districts in Sindh had been shortlisted and requested an allocation of Rs24 billion for two years to include the province in the scheme, adding that the programme would be made self-sustainable in its third year.