Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday launched the distribution of Naya Pakistan National Sehat Card for Punjab which he said will enable every family to avail the medical treatment of up to Rs1 million a year at both government and private hospitals.

“This is a revolutionary step. Neither everyone can take, nor did any of the governments in the past take such a bold decision of providing Rs1 million worth of health insurance to the entire population,” he said while addressing the gathering at the ceremony in Lahore.

The premier lauded the Punjab chief minister, health minister and the whole team involved in the process. He was of the view that such a development would uplift the country. Under the programme, 30 million families would benefit from the health insurance facility that would cost Rs400 billion to the government, the premier added.

“Our forefathers had dreamed to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state but unfortunately it could not be developed on that course,” he lamented.

Citing Madina state as the “first welfare state” that fulfilled all basic responsibilities of its citizens, the PM said that “unfortunately, no such state was found in the Muslim world” though he did say the Scandinavian states were closest to that model.

Naming Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the prime minister said a model state always believed in inclusive growth and had compassion for the weaker segment.

He said while all the Scandinavian countries did not have more resources than Pakistan, they were more prosperous for having adopted the model of a welfare state.

“Today, the Punjab government took such a step to put the country on the course of uplifting this nation… We want to make Pakistan for which it was established. If we don’t opt that course, it will be great treachery with the Indian Muslims who had voted for it,” he added.

PM Imran recalled that some leaders in the past claimed to make Pakistan an “Asian Tiger”, saying that such a plan could in no way be greater than the idea of a welfare state like Madina.

“The time will prove that initiative of Sehat Card, involving almost equal funding, would have far better outcomes than the Metro Buses or Orange Train,” he said while apparently taking a jibe at the PML-N. The BRT project and Orange Train projects were started during the PML-N government

He said all families across the province would get the Sehat Card by March and also resolved to replicate the model in Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The prime minister said the Sehat Card would lead towards the development of health infrastructure across the province as it would attract the private sector to build hospitals even in remote areas.

He said the government would close down the government hospitals in far-flung areas where the doctors did not want to be posted, to save costs.

He said the government would incentivize the private sector by allowing duty-free import of their equipment to expand the network of private hospitals.

Earlier, the prime minister also distributed Sehat cards among the beneficiaries.