The health card will be distributed to fishermen in the Gwadar district first, and fishermen in Lasbela and Hub will be served later.
Balochistan’s government intends to launch a health card facility for registered fishermen soon, under which Rs 1 million in health insurance coverage will be provided to the province’s 89,886 fishermen and their families.
The health card will be distributed to fishermen in the Gwadar district first, and fishermen in Lasbela and Hub will be served later.
An official of the Balochistan government said the objective of the program to launch a health card facility was to improve the health status of the targeted population through increased access to quality health services and to reduce poverty through the reduction of out-of-pocket payments for health expenditures.
He stated that approximately 89,886 fishermen were currently registered in Balochistan and that the initiative would provide 100 percent coverage. “Beneficiaries can receive healthcare in both public and private hospitals,” he added.
“The provincial government has also launched multiple incentives for fishermen to ensure maximum contribution of fisheries sector in the provincial economy. In addition to digitalization, more initiatives will be launched soon to boost the sector, which has been neglected for several decades,” he said.
He stated that the provincial government was working hard to provide basic facilities such as clean drinking water and education to raise the living standards of fishermen and enable them to contribute to the economy.
Many projects, such as the “fish processing plant” in Gwadar, the “fisherman cooperative housing society,” the “sea ambulance service,” and the “installation of monitoring systems in boats,” were in the works, he said, and would eventually boost the sector’s potential.
Roads and other infrastructure were also being upgraded to allow local fishermen easy access to the port for transporting their catch to markets, he added.
“The province has the capacity to produce high-quality fish, and access to the global market would generate more revenue,” he said.
A hospital equipped with the latest technology was also being set up at Gwadar to provide the best health facilities to the people of the area. He added that the provincial government had also decided to provide basic facilities to fishermen and others involved in the fisheries.
“The government will take additional steps to save the fishermen’s livelihood,” he assured, adding that the department should complete the land requisition process for eight new jetties in coastal areas soon.