The Ministry of National Health Services is making arrangements to permanently retain the Sehat Sahulat Card under the federal government’s healthcare framework, officials said on Wednesday.
The proposal has been forwarded to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for formal approval.
According to Muhammad Arshad, head of the Sehat Sahulat Card programme, the initiative—once approved—will enable around 2.7 million families in Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and Tharparkar district to access free medical treatment from over 600 empanelled hospitals across the country.
Speaking to Samaa TV, Arshad said: “The Sehat Sahulat Card is going to be maintained permanently under the federal programme. The matter has been sent to ECNEC for approval.”
He added that the programme is a major step toward providing universal health coverage to underprivileged families in remote and marginalised areas. “After formal approval, residents of these regions will have continued access to quality healthcare without financial burden.”
The Sehat Sahulat Card offers coverage for various medical procedures including hospitalisation, surgeries, maternity care, and chronic illness management. Patients can avail treatment from both public and private sector hospitals enlisted in the panel.
The scheme was initially launched to support low-income families in accessing healthcare. Over time, provincial governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa expanded the programme under their respective setups. However, regions without devolved health infrastructure—such as AJK, GB, Islamabad, and parts of Sindh—have continued to rely on the federal version of the programme.
