Pakistan’s decision to restore and continue the health card facility for the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan until 2027 is much more than a routine policy move. It is a clear political and moral statement. In a region where geography often dictates destiny, this step says something different. It says that whether a family lives in a busy corner of Muzaffarabad or in a remote valley near Gilgit, its right to healthcare is equal and recognised.
For years, communities in the mountains have carried a double burden. On one side, harsh weather, long distances, and a lack of infrastructure. On the other hand, poverty and limited access to quality medical care. In that context, the health card is not just a plastic card. It is a bridge between isolation and inclusion. It connects remote households to both public and private hospitals, and it turns healthcare from a privilege into an entitlement. When the federal government approves the extension of this programme until 2027, it is essentially saying: “Sehat sab ke liye, not just for those who live near big cities.”
Or in other words, healthcare for all is Pakistan’s real gift to the people of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan
The political meaning of this decision is also important. These regions sit at Pakistan’s strategic and emotional frontiers. They face security challenges, border tensions, and the daily pressure of living so close to contested lines. For such citizens, the state’s presence must not be felt only through soldiers, checkpoints, or speeches. It must also be felt through hospitals, ambulances, and doctors who are actually available. The continued health card coverage sends exactly that message. From Muzaffarabad to Gilgit, every family is promised free treatment. This is not just a slogan. It is a policy anchored in budget allocations, contracts with hospitals, and clear eligibility criteria.
Critics might argue that Pakistan is facing serious economic pressure and that such social programmes are hard to sustain. That argument cannot simply be dismissed. Fiscal space is tight, and every rupee has to be justified. Yet this is where political priorities become visible. When a government protects a health safety net even in a time of inflation and fiscal adjustment, it is drawing a line in the sand. It is saying that you can cut many things, but you do not compromise on basic health protection for the most vulnerable. Public welfare first, even in difficult times. That principle is what gives credibility to the slogan that the federation’s promise is also its practical intention.
The extension of the health card to 2027 also has a quiet but strong institutional meaning. Social protection programmes in our part of the world often suffer from discontinuity. One government starts something, the next one suspends it or rebrands it. People on the ground receive mixed signals. In that environment, the continuity of the health card in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan matters. It shows that this initiative is rising above party lines and short political cycles.
The health card’s continuity has become a symbol of the bond between the federation and its units, especially those on the periphery
There is also a clear administrative benefit. Provinces and regions struggle with limited health budgets. When the federal government shoulders a major share of the financial responsibility through a central programme, provincial and regional funds can be used for other gaps, such as more lady health workers, better equipment in basic health units, or training for paramedics. This eases pressure on local health funds and keeps services running without abrupt interruptions. Continuity is not a buzzword here. It is the difference between a patient being turned away due to funds running out and being admitted with dignity.
One of the strongest arguments for the programme in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan is geography. Setting up advanced hospitals in every remote valley is not realistic in the short term. But giving families a health card that allows treatment in the nearest quality facility, public or private, is very realistic. It means a complicated surgery can take place in a better-equipped hospital in a regional hub, while the associated costs are covered.
For families who already spend so much on travel, food, and lodging when they come down from the mountains, the removal of hospital charges is a huge relief
Of course, no policy is perfect. There are reports at times of beneficiaries not being entertained properly, or of hospitals preferring cash patients over health card patients. Some facilities may not be available nearby, and referral systems can be slow. These problems are real and should not be brushed aside. The answer, however, is to improve the programme, not to withdraw it. Strong monitoring, timely payments to hospitals, and clear complaint systems are needed so that the promise of free treatment is not reduced to a message on a billboard.
Viewed in a wider frame, the health card extension is also a signal about what kind of state Pakistan aims to be. Is it a state that treats border communities as distant and secondary, or one that sees them as central to the national story? By guaranteeing modern medical care to those living along some of the most sensitive frontiers, the state is sending a message both inward and outward.
To its own citizens, it is saying that their lives matter equally. To the world, it is saying that Pakistan’s priority is the well-being and strength of the people of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan
In the end, healthcare is not a luxury. It is the foundation on which education, productivity, and even national security rest. A sick society cannot be a strong society. The decision to keep the health card alive until 2027 for Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan is, therefore, not just a welfare step. It is an investment in stability, dignity, and national cohesion. It reassures families that when illness strikes, they will not have to sell land, borrow from moneylenders, or make impossible choices between treatment and food.
Pakistan still has a long road ahead in terms of universal health coverage. But some steps matter more than others, because they show direction. This is one of those steps. It tells every family from Muzaffarabad to Gilgit that their free treatment is a right, not a favour. It keeps the shield of health protection in place even in hard times. And it underlines a simple truth: Pakistan’s future strength depends on the prosperity and good health of Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan as much as any other part of the country.
