Sehat Insaf Card, NADRA and Poor

Insaf Sehat Card, NADRA and Poor

On February 5, 2019, Prime Minister Imran Khan launched a landmark initiative of providing a health insurance cards to the needy families of the Islamabad and whole of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas.  The ceremony was attended by national and provincial ministers from health department including Sindh Governor Dr Imran Ismail and KP Governor Shah Farman.

According to his address, Insaf Sehat Card covers 720,000 of medical treatment per family.  Furthermore, he said that he initiated this after realizing the agony of poor families after his own mother who suffered from cancer and at that time there was no cancer hospital in the country.

Poor families are selling their belongings whenever anyone from their family suffers any major disease. There is no one to give them loan as they are poor and are not in a position to return the huge debt. Initially, Insaf Sehat Card had to be distributed among the poor and needy families of Islamabad and FATA who have been going through the hardships from last few years. Later, PM told that the cards will be distributed among 15 million people in two years and 10 million cards will be distributed in Punjab within a month. But I couldn’t see any progress so far in Punjab and in Islamabad also. NADRA was assigned a job related to the issuance of Sehat cards, record updating and keeping.

Today, I had a very bad experience as I wanted to get a Sehat Card for my parents as I do not belong to any elite class. After a research I got to know that NADRA is working on the said project so I planned and went to Regional Head Office NADRA, Islamabad. When I reached at reception, at the gate the lady asked me “Where do you want to go”? I told him my problem and she gave me an orange visitor’s card. I took that card and went inside the NADRA office, the security guard standing at an information desk asked me; “Sir Kahan Jana ha ap na” I told him that I want to get information about Insaf Sehat Card. He did not understand what I said and requested me to understand him about which card I am talking. As he understood he replied that there is no department who is working on this project/card. Meanwhile, he asked five NADRA Officials about my matter but they themselves did not know. The security guard sent me to 3^rd floor in project department but they told me that the project department is at ground floor, 2^nd office from your left. I reached back to the same place from where I went to the 3^rd floor then I went inside the project department where three ladies were sitting together. One of them was badly busy with her cell phone, other was sitting idle and the third was working and she told me that she does not know about this project or card issue. Moreover, she had also referred me to her boss to clarify. I went to his officer’s office.  After some formal greeting, I told him my matter which he listened and replied; Sir, “WE DON’T KNOW” but he asked me to go to Mega Office of NADRA in Blue Area. Thus, I went there, I confronted a security guard who asked me where I want to go. I told him about my story; he repeated the same words which I have been listening from last two hours. I did not believe in his words and went inside the office to the information desk where I met a man with long beards, I asked him about the Sehat Card  and in response he said “I DON’T KNOW BUT IF I KNEW I WOULD HAVE MADE THE CARDS OF OWN FAMILY AND FRIENDS FIRST” . The whole process of taking information and running in different departments wasted my four hours.

This is no less than a great deception in the name of “Tabdeeli”. People are being fooled by this very word “Tabdeeli”.  Giving poor pain, taking shelter from their head, increasing medicines rate, increasing rates of travel,  restoring tax of sim recharge, increasing the rates of electricity and gas, giving some people shelter by the name of PM Shelter home, and destroying the living standard of poor if this is “Tabdeeli” then this not the change that people wanted. People voted PTI because they thought Mr. Imran Khan would be their voice, their shelter, their hope, and their Guardian. People never wanted their blood and sweat to be squeezed in the hands of dearness. They never thought they would face the day when their loved ones be dying of not having the expense of treatment. Poor class is being destroyed by the burden of dearness. The pain and misery of poor is talking with sky.

In the end, I would humbly request the authorities that before pronounce anything in front of the audience should be properly planned and managed while planning the concerned departments should be kept in page while working.  So that the problems like Insaf Sehat card should not arise and people should not suffer rather be served and helped. Hence, it is requested to please help the poor in terms of healthcare by providing the Sehat Card as it is already pronounced.  In addition, I would also request the government to look over the issues of high cost of daily goods before the month of Ramadhan.

Thank you

Umair Ahmed Khan

writerumair@gmail.com