KP health coverage

EditorialPublished February 6, 2021

Recently, KP became the first province to offer universal health coverage to

its 40m residents (‫)رہنے واال۔ مقیم‬. Going by the disaster (‫ )مصیبت‬that the
healthcare system in this country is, this can be seen as a revolutionary move.
The Sehat Sahulat Programme was first piloted by the KP government in four
districts in 2015 but covered only 3pc of the population. In 2016, it was
extended (‫ )پھیالنا‬to cover 51pc of the population, 69pc by 2017 and finally the
entire province in 2020. Under the programme, around 6.7m families in the
province can avail (‫ )کام آنا‬hospitalised treatment worth Rs1m every year at
400 public-sector and private hospitals across the province. If all goes as
planned, this scheme could prove to be a game changer for public healthcare.
A large percentage of the population lives below the poverty line (‫)غربت کی لکیر‬
in the country where access to adequate healthcare is difficult. Government
spending in the sector remains below 3pc of GDP, resulting in understaffed,
underfunded and overcrowded (‫ )زیادہ بھیڑ‬public-sector hospitals where the
poor run from pillar to post to seek treatment for themselves or their loved
ones. In such circumstances, access to healthcare for women becomes doubly
difficult due to patriarchal (‫ )رئیس قبیلہ‬mores that hinder movement and
prevent women from making health-related choices. Free access (‫ )رستہ‬to
proper medical care will lower the levels of neonatal (‫ )نوزائیدہ‬and maternal
deaths (‫ )زچگی کی اموات‬in the country. Indeed, hospital admission for women
needing treatment might also change social taboos, allowing women greater
mobility (‫ )نقل و حرکت‬in the long run.
So far the response to free healthcare in the province has been positive,
although with hospital admissions tripling, efforts may be needed to expand
(‫ )پھیالنا‬health facilities and services. A rickety healthcare infrastructure of
decades will surely be subjected to even greater pressure as more people avail
of the benefits (‫ )فائدہ اُٹھانا‬of the health coverage plan and free up their income
to spend on other essentials of life. If the months ahead prove that the scheme
is implemented (‫ )پورا کرنا‬successfully, other provinces too can learn from KP’s
example.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2021

Chaos in parliament
EditorialPublished February 6, 2021

THE scenes of chaos (‫ )انتشار‬in the National Assembly this week have been a
pitiful yet pertinent symbol (‫ )حقیقت کی عالمت‬of the reality of politics in the
country today. An enraged opposition (‫ )مشتعل حزب اختالف‬and a bullish ruling
party locked horns during Thursday’s session, escalating (‫ )بڑھتی ہوئی‬already
simmering (‫ )سنسناہٹ‬tensions and confirming once again that civility and
dialogue are unthinkable for both sides. Sloganeering, desk-thumping and
shouting are hardly uncommon occurrences during Assembly sessions and
have been resorted (‫ )گزر جانا‬to by MNAs since the 1990s. This particular
session, however, also featured lawmakers abusing (‫ )برا بھال کہنا‬each other to a
point where a scuffle (‫ )لڑائی۔‬broke out. At one point, the speaker of the
Assembly had to be protected by a ring of sergeants-at-arms as opposition
lawmakers gathered before him. Perhaps for the first time in our
parliamentary history, treasury members (‫ )خزانے کے ارکان‬staged a walkout
from the house after pointing out lack of quorum to prevent opposition
lawmakers from making speeches. As a result, despite a three-hour session,
the debate on the bill seeking an open Senate vote remained inconclusive ( ‫غیر‬
‫)فیصلہ کُن‬.

The divisions between the PTI and opposition parties are clear as day, but
both sides, though cheerleaders of democracy by their own proclamations
(‫)اعالن‬, indulge in behaviour that hurts the democratic process. Here, the
opposition must reflect on what it will achieve (‫ )پورا کرنا‬by turning up the
political temperature in the Assembly to the extent that no constructive debate
(‫ )تعمیری بحث‬is possible. Its announcement of a date for its long march
notwithstanding, the PDM needs to be clear on its position. While it has
announced that caravans will march to Islamabad on March 26, no details
have been shared about the alliance’s strategy (‫)اتحاد کی حکمت عملی‬. The PPP’s
desire to move a no-confidence motion against the prime minister is clearly
not popular with the other party leaders and remains an unresolved sticking
point. Yet the alliance is sticking together and ostensibly (‫ )بناوٹی طور پر‬forging
(‫ )ایجاد کرنا‬ahead with its plans. What is their end goal, and what will the march
realistically achieve is anyone’s guess.

The government is as much to blame for the hysteria (‫ )دیوانگی‬not only in the
Assembly but also in talk shows and on social media. It has constantly goaded
( ‫ )اکسانا۔‬the opposition and shown high-handedness and aggression (‫)جارحیت‬
towards it at every forum. Its failure to reach out to the opposition for its key
responsibility of legislative business is also hurting (‫ )نقصان‬the system.
Unfortunately, it appears as though this behaviour is encouraged in the party
and opposition-bashing (‫ )حزب اختالف کو مارنا‬is the ready response to every
situation. Sanity must prevail, for this bitterness (‫ )کڑوا پن‬is giving no relief to
the public. There are a few seasoned politicians in government ranks who
have the experience of dealing with such situations, and, for the sake of
pragmatism (‫)کڑواہٹ‬, they need to come forward to help bring down the
temperature. Sadly, going by the tone of Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s speech in
the Assembly this week, such engagement is a distant dream.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2021

Grassroots power (‫) نچلی طاقت‬

EditorialPublished February 6, 2021

THE rollback (‫ )رول بیک‬of local democracy (‫ )جمہوری حکومت‬is not a new
phenomenon in Pakistan. All political parties have an unenviable record ( ‫ناقابل‬
ِ َ‫ )ت‬of the constitutional
‫ )شناخت ریکارڈ‬when it comes to the execution ( ‫کمیل‬
provision (‫ )آئینی شق‬concerning local governments and the sharing of power
with local representatives. The PTI administration is no exception. It is
unfortunate (‫ )کم بخت۔‬to see a party that promised to strengthen local
democracy dragging (‫ )گھسیٹنا‬its feet on its commitment since coming into
power and delaying ( ‫ )دیر کرنا‬the holding of elections. Its reticence has also
been criticised (‫ )تنقید کی‬by the ECP. On Thursday, two Supreme Court judges
hearing the LG poll case made similarly pertinent (‫ )درست‬observations
concerning the premature dissolution of local governments in Punjab by the
PTI government and the inordinate (‫ )غیر ُمعتدل‬delay in holding new polls as
required by the Constitution. According to Justice Qazi Faez Isa, such an act
is tantamount (‫ )قدر و قیمت‬to “killing democracy”. “This is unconstitutional and
worse than dictatorship,” he remarked, wondering “Would you throw away
entire local government system if you don’t get favourable results tomorrow
and an opposition party sweeps (‫ )پھیر۔ گھماؤ‬the elections?” Giving his
observations on the issue, Justice Maqbool Baqar pointed out that the
government was “at war with its people”.

The remarks of the learned judges underscore the gross violation ( ‫سراسر خالف‬
‫ )ورزی‬of Article 140-A of the Constitution that binds provinces to establish LG
systems and devolve (‫ )گرانا۔‬political, administrative and financial
responsibility and authority to the elected representatives of the local bodies.
The judges through their observations also gave voice to the frustration
(‫ )مایوسی‬of the people with the excuses of the ruling party (‫ )حکمران جماعت‬and
its allies for the last two years for delaying (‫ )دیر کرنا‬local elections in Punjab,
KP and Balochistan. When the PTI dissolved the PML-N-dominated local
governments in Punjab in 2019, for example, it introduced a new local body
law, which, its authors claimed, aimed at ensuring meaningful devolution
(‫ )وراثت‬of political, administrative and financial authority down to the
grassroots level. Unfortunately, the new law was used only to roll back local
democracy in the province instead of transferring the promised powers to
people elected at the lowest tier of government. This disregard for grassroots
democracy (‫ )جمہوریت‬must be censured (‫)الزام یا دوکھ لگانا‬. With the popularity of
the PTI having suffered significantly because of poor governance and its bad
performance on the economic front, its reluctance to hold local body polls is
understandable. This observation also holds true for the PPP provincial
authorities (‫ )حکومت ۔ حاکمی‬in Sindh that are averse to devolving power ( ‫منحرف‬
‫)طاقت‬. But the question is: how long can they avoid the voters?

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2021