Prime Minister Imran Khan formally started the distribution of the Naya Pakistan National Health Card for Punjab province in Lahore on Friday.

Addressing the ceremony on the occasion, the premier said that the founding fathers of Pakistan demonstrated clearly in the objective resolution that Pakistan would be an Islamic welfare state.

Read more: Imran Khan launches ‘Naya Pakistan Health Card’ for all citizens of Punjab

PM insisted that only the time would tell if the metro train would benefit people or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) health card programme.

He claimed that 30 million families of Punjab would be benefited through the project of distribution of health cards and the cost of the project is four hundred billion rupees.

Everyone could make revolutionary decisions like the launching of health cards. But nobody in the past ever spent as much money on hospitals as the PTI government did in the past three years, he added.

PM Imran also congratulated Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Provincial Health Minister Yasmeen Rashid and their team for the provision of Health insurance to the people of Punjab up to one million rupees annually.

He said that networks of hospitals would be established under this health card scheme, and the private sector would be incentivized through this project.

“In the past, the name of the Islamic state was just taken in speeches. No practical work was done in this regard. We are on a path that will take the nation to the next level,” he said.

Highlighting the benefits of health cards, the Prime Minister said that health cards would meet the health emergency of the marginalized section of society. He further said that it would also help to strengthen the health structure of the country.

For the first time, loans for low-income people were provided, and law in this regard was also passed by removing the obstacles, he said.

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The prime minister said that the government would further increase the loan programme for the construction of houses. The government was giving up to Rs2.7 million interest-free loan, he added.