The Government of Pakistan has approved a series of major health sector initiatives under the URAAN Pakistan framework, following the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) clearance of five projects aimed at improving affordable healthcare access, strengthening social protection, and reducing catastrophic medical spending for vulnerable citizens.

According to the official release, three projects worth Rs12.524 billion received CDWP approval, while two larger schemes amounting to Rs56.82 billion were forwarded to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final decision.

The meeting was chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives and Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Ahsan Iqbal, while Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal attended to present and defend the initiatives submitted by his ministry.

One of the key decisions was the approval of the revised Sehat Sahulat Program—valued at Rs40.18 billion—which has been referred to ECNEC for final endorsement. Under the URAAN Pakistan initiative, the program will offer universal inpatient health insurance to permanent resident families of Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan based on NADRA records, with the objective of reducing out-of-pocket hospitalization costs by up to 60% and boosting financial protection for low-income households.

The chair stressed that the program must return to its original focus on poor and deserving families to avoid misuse of public funds.

The CDWP also approved and referred the revised Jinnah Hospital (Polyclinic-II) project located in G-11/3 Islamabad to ECNEC at an updated cost of Rs15.94 billion. The scheme includes expanding bed capacity from 311 to 400, integrating advanced IT systems, upgrading biomedical equipment, adding solar energy support, improving HVAC operations, and extending the project completion timeline to June 2027. Concerns were raised over cost escalation, with directives for better initial planning and evidence-based costing.

Additionally, the forum cleared the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response System (IDSRS) with Public Health Laboratories Network and FELTP workforce development worth Rs7.48 billion, approved Strengthening Points of Entry and Border Health Services in Karachi at Rs2.86 billion, and endorsed the Rs2.17 billion project to upgrade cardiology and related facilities at Federal Government Polyclinic (PGMI) Hospital, Islamabad.

Reaffirming the URAAN Pakistan vision, Ahsan Iqbal emphasized that health investments must deliver accessible, timely, and quality services for marginalized citizens, ensuring that people-centric development remains central to national priorities.