ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk was informed on Friday that the Prime Minister`s National Health Programme would cover entire population by 2021.

During a briefing, held at Prime Minister`s Office, Secretary National Health Services retired Capt Zahid Saeed said the Programme was catering to health expenditures of the poor families living below poverty line of $2 per day by providing them free indoor health care services in various public and private health facilities.

So far 3.2 million families in 38 districts across the country have been registered as beneficiaries of the programme, Mr Saeed said.

The meeting was informed that financial support of Rs 250,000 per family was being provided annually under the Priority Disease Package which deals with serious illnesses such as heart diseases, burns and accidents, dialysis, chronic infections complication, organ failure management and chemotherapy/radiotherapy/surgery.

The secretary informe d the prime minister that the secondary care pacl
He said the support amount and the scope were being enhanced under Phase-H of the programme. The entire population of the country would be covered under the programme by 2021.

The prime minister expressed the hope that the programme would be instrumental in achieving the goal of universal health coverage which is an important pillar of National Health Vision 2016-2025.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif launched the programme on December31, 2015 for Islamabad and described it as the first step towards making Pakistan a welfare state.