RAHIMYAR KHAN - Amid speculations that opposition pressure over Panama leaks and uneven civil-military relations could eventually force an early election in the country, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif yesterday declared that his government will complete its term and general elections will be held in 2018.
"Governments come and go, however their main objective should remain to facilitate the common man. This is what they would be accountable for in the world hereafter," he said addressing the launch of PM's Health Card scheme in Punjab here.
Enumerating their feats, Nawaz Sharif said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government had launched several development projects, which would usher in an era of progress and prosperity.
"Ask any other political party, government or dictator in the past. None of them have constructed motorways, which not only reduce distances but ends poverty," he remarked, revealing what made him confident about completion of his government’s five-year term.
"Since our coming into power, we have effectively dealt with all these challenges which were passed over to our government. Allah's blessings are showered wherever there is sincerity (of purpose) in hearts," he said.
The prime minister said his government was making every effort to reduce the miseries of the common man by providing them better life amenities. "I want to ease the lives of common people by giving them access to basic facilities in a respectable way, particularly better health services."
The president of a party which has been continuously ruling the Punjab province for last eight years admitted the sorry fact when he said the poor in the country had little or no access to healthcare and in case of diseases like cancer or cardiac diseases they were unable to afford expensive treatment.
He claimed the PM's Health Card scheme would enable the patients access the public and private hospitals ‘on panel’, even for the treatment of cancer and cardiac issues - including bypass surgery and angioplasty, liver diseases such as hepatitis, pregnancy, and post-natal complications, injuries and burns.
The limit of medical cover will be up to Rs0.3 million, however on exhaust of limit, the treatment would be completed with the financial assistance of Baitul Maal, he said.
Like in any other part of the country, private hospitals in Punjab are simply out of the poor’s reach. The public hospitals are too less in number and almost all of them are in pathetic state.
The prime minister said he always had a passion to serve the masses, particularly the underprivileged segment of society and stressed that every government should realise and fulfil the similar moral and religious responsibility.
He recalled that he had set-up a kidney hospital in Swat when this party was in opposition, because of the pain he felt for the people of area who had no facility of treatment for renal diseases. He said he was committed to set-up 50 new hospitals across the country, without telling when that would happen as the term of his government is going to expire next year.
Nawaz Sharif in his speech mentioned that 0.39 million families had so far been registered with the Health Card Scheme in cities including Islamabad, Quetta, Kotli, Skardu, whereas work in Lasbela and Khanewal, was in progress.
PM Nawaz particularly lauded the efforts of State Minister for Health Saira Afzal Tarar and his daughter Maryam Nawaz in successful implementation of the Health Card scheme.
He also appreciated Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider, his brother - Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the chief ministers of Balochistan and Gilgit Baltistan for taking personal interest in the project.
A toll-free telephone number 8500 is available 24/7 for public and Nadra (National Database and Registration Authority) has been tasked to facilitate over this, he added.
Lauding his own government’s performance, he mentioned several projects and steps taken by them including infrastructure projects and programme to overcome power loadshedding. He also took credit for ‘decisive fight against terrorism and improving law and order situation in Karachi.
He claimed that economy had become stable with stock market among the top five in the world. He also took credit for reduced prices petroleum products, though POL prices have plunged more sharply in the world market than in the country and there have been criticism that government has not been passing the full benefit of it to the people.
The prime minister said the government had taken steps to upgrade Pakistan Railways and had also improved the services of Pakistan International Airlines, which, he claimed, was ‘yielding results’.
He said work on Karachi-Lahore motorway was in progress and added that a motorway in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Hassan Abdal to Mansehra would ultimately link up to Khunjrab, at Chinese border.
He said Rahimyar Khan would benefit from the Multan-Sukkur motorway, to be completed by 2019. The prime minister also gave away Health Cards to the deserving families and individuals.
Minister Saira Afzal Tarar in her address said Rahimyar Khan had been chosen for the initiation of this health programme as the prime minister wanted it to be launched from southern Punjab, an area which has been complaining of being neglected by the federal and provincial governments for long.
She said the PM's Health Card Scheme was being implemented in collaboration with provinces and transparency was the basis of this project.