Health insurance.

IT is frustrating to watch a major public welfare initiative meant to ensure universal health coverage for 25m families grinding to a halt. A lifeline for those unable to afford hospitalisation and expensive medical interventions continues to be rolled back by the PML-N through the caretaker set-up in Punjab. State Life Insurance has already warned the provincial health authorities that it will be compelled to discontinue the facility of free hospitalisation under the Sehat Sahulat Programme - the official name for the health insurance initiative instituted by the previous PTI government - because of non-payment of the pending premium of Rs83.5bn to the insurer.

As per a report in this paper, provincial officials managing the project blame the situation on the political animosity between the PML-N and PTI. The first hint that the PML-N might shut down the scheme came several weeks back, when the federal planning ministry raised objections to the flagship programme, labelling it 'wasteful and untargeted'. However, few had thought that the government would actually implement its plans to roll back the initiative, which has so far benefited some 3.2m patients across the province. It is reported by the health authorities that the free facility, which is available at 724 public and private hospitals, has...