Naya Pakistan Qaumi Sehat Card plan: a key step for health sector.

Byline: S. Kamal Hayder Kazmi

The Government of Pakistan's facts showed that the country has shown improvement in health indicators over the previous 3-year. Life expectancy is grown from 66.9 years in 2017 to 67.3 years in 2019, but is still behind in the region. The infant mortality rate, maternal mortality and population growth rate have been declined during the previous 3-year. It is also showed that in order to make substantial progress on Goal 3 of Sustainable Development Goals (Good Health and Wellbeing), the government has given priority to strengthen health sector to further resolve and address the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.

Statistics also showed that Pakistan's Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has fallen from 62.1 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2015 to 55.7 in 2019, while Neonatal Mortality Rate fell from 45.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2015 to 41.2 in 2019. Percentage of birth attended by skilled health personnel is increased from 58 percent in 2015 to 68 percent in 2020 (PSLM, 2019-20). Maternal Mortality Ratio declined from 276 maternal deaths per 100,000 births in 2006, to 189 in 2019. With a population growth rate of 1.9 percent, Pakistan's contraceptive prevalence rate in 2019 stayed stagnant at 34.0 percent. Pakistan's tuberculosis incidence is of 263 per 100,000 population and HIV prevalence rate is 0.1 per 1,000 population in 2019 while, mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is 59.9 percent.

The Government of Pakistan is exploring dedicated actions to curb the rising burden of NCDs, although, many of its attempts have been severally affected through Covid-19 pandemic repercussions. The Government of Pakistan has started a landmark health care initiative, "Sehat Sahulat Programme" with an objective to lead a path towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the country. The Government of Pakistan presently introduced the Naya Pakistan Qaumi Sehat Card scheme to offer health insurance to families across Punjab, Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Tharparkar. Statistics showed that this scheme will cost the government Rs450 billion and will offer free medical treatment to the people at government and private hospitals. Each family can avail treatment worth Rs 1.0 million yearly.

The Government also said private and government hospitals will no longer have to pay premium for universal health coverage and both private and public hospitals will offer treatment to the people. It is said that it is a very...