With an aim to ensure maximum coverage of the most deserving people under the Sehat Sahulat Programme, the government has launched a comprehensive awareness drive at the Shelter Homes (Panahgahs) for enabling poor and daily wage earners to reap the benefits of the Health Card facility.
Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Panahgahs Naseem ur Rehman, who is leading the campaign, told APP on Sunday that the the drive was in full swing at some six shelter homes located in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
“The objective of the drive is to enable those who need Health Cards most to protect themselves and their families from the ravages of the diseases that keep them trapped in poverty,” he said while pointing to the “Knowledge, Attitude and Practice” survey being done among a sample of 500 beneficiaries to learn as to how much information they already had about the initiative.
Naseem, who was interacting with the poor and daily wage earners at one of the Panahgahs near Peshawar Morr, said he was conducting informal face-to-face sessions with dwellers and field staff to guide them about the benefits of Sehat Insaf Card which enabled every family to get free medical treatment of up to Rs1 million per year.
Besides, the face-to-face communication campaigns at Panahgahs which offer an ideal congregate setting for the most needy, the focal person said he had already done radio and television interviews to maximize the impact of Sehat Sahulat initiative of the government as part of the Prime Minister’s vision to invest in people.
Panahgah’s field staff and volunteers were being sensitized and oriented to reach out to those who faced the brunt of diseases and vicious circle of poverty, he added.
“Sehat Sahulat Programme is a practical demonstration of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s commitment to put poor people at the centre of the development agenda,” he remarked and said the main focus of the government was that the initiative did not bypass the most needy and top deserving since it had been made universal.
“This is a major breakthrough for saving poor people from turning into beggars and pitiable persons asking for money on roads, streets and market,” he observed.
