Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday launched the Prime Minister’s Health Card programme for the Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan, reaffirming the government’s pledge to provide quality healthcare as a fundamental right for all citizens.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, the prime minister said the initiative marked a major step towards delivering healthcare services closer to people, regardless of their social or economic status. The event was attended by the federal health minister, chief minister Gilgit-Baltistan, parliamentarians and senior officials.

Recalling the origins of the scheme, Shehbaz Sharif said the health card was first introduced in 2016 under former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and later expanded nationwide.

“There is nothing more valuable than health. Without health, there is no education, no dignified employment and no progress,” he said.

He said while affluent citizens could afford treatment anywhere, the true responsibility of the state lay in protecting the poor, widows, orphans and daily wage earners.

“Healthcare is the right of every Pakistani, whether a prime minister or a street vendor,” he added.

The prime minister congratulated Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal and his team, directing them to ensure transparent implementation through third-party monitoring. He said the programme would be personally overseen through inspections and coordination with regional leadership.

Responding to calls for extending the scheme to Sindh, PM Shehbaz said the demand was valid and pledged to take up the matter with the Sindh chief minister.

He noted that the programme was already progressing rapidly in Punjab, with significant public spending on healthcare, while other provinces had their own initiatives.

Earlier, Federal Minister for National Health Services Mustafa Kamal said the revived programme would provide free, cashless treatment to nearly 10 million residents of Islamabad, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan. He said the scheme had been fully restored within four to five weeks after remaining inactive.

Kamal said around 70 hospitals were being empanelled across the three regions, including 20 additional hospitals in Islamabad. He added that cardholders from these areas residing in Karachi would also be able to receive treatment at 16 designated hospitals.

He said Sindh remained the only province not yet covered under the health card scheme, though a proposal for 10 rural and urban districts, estimated at Rs24 billion, had been prepared.

“With two years of funding, the programme can become self-sustaining from the third year,” he said.

The minister stressed that healthcare should focus not only on treatment but also on prevention, including safe childbirth, vaccination, clean drinking water and stronger primary care.

The prime minister expressed hope that the programme would expand nationwide and bring relief to millions of families across Pakistan.