Free hospital treatment for Islamabad, AJK and GB families

The Sehat Card Islamabad AJK GB programme gives families in Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) free, cashless treatment when they are admitted to a listed hospital. Its official names are the Sehat Sahulat Programme and the Prime Minister's National Health Programme. Dawn reports cover of up to Rs 720,000 per family each year.

The federal government stopped the card in these three areas in March 2024 because of unpaid dues. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif relaunched it on 16 January 2026. It is funded until 30 June 2027 and covers more than 10 million people. You do not need to register. Your CNIC is your Sehat Card.

Sehat Card at a glance

Who is covered

• Everyone whose CNIC shows a permanent address in Islamabad, AJK or Gilgit-Baltistan. There is no income test and no survey. The government covers all permanent resident families in these areas.
• Children are covered through a B-Form linked to a parent's CNIC.
• NADRA's records decide who is covered, so your permanent address on the CNIC is what counts.

If your CNIC's permanent address is in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Balochistan, this federal card does not cover you. Your province runs its own scheme. See the Punjab question below.

What treatment is covered

The Sehat Card pays for inpatient care, meaning treatment where you are admitted to hospital. State Life, which runs the scheme for the government, lists:

• Hospital admission, bed, nursing and monitoring
• Emergency treatment after accidents and injuries
• Operations, including day-care surgery
• Specialist doctors, tests and scans during your hospital stay
• Pregnancy care, childbirth and care after delivery
• Heart treatment, including angioplasty and heart surgery
• Kidney disease, including dialysis and transplant
• Cancer treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation

Ordinary clinic (OPD) visits and medicines bought outside hospital are not covered. The programme was approved for "secondary and priority inpatient treatments".

The yearly limit is shared by the whole family. Some websites say the limit is Rs 1 million. That is the limit of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's separate Sehat Card Plus, not this federal card.

How to use your Sehat Card

1. 1Check that you are covered. Enter your CNIC number and its issue date on State Life's eligibility page. The Nation also reports that you can SMS your CNIC number to 8500, or call 0800-09009.
2. 2Choose a listed hospital. In Islamabad these include PIMS, the Federal Government Polyclinic, Islamabad International Hospital, Railways Hospital and Akbar Niazi Teaching Hospital. Ask the helpline for hospitals in AJK and GB.
3. 3Go to the Sehat Card desk at the hospital. Take your original CNIC, or your child's B-Form.
4. 4The desk checks your details online. If you are covered, you are admitted and treated.
5. 5You pay nothing for covered treatment, up to the family's yearly limit. There is no claim form to fill in.

Documents you need

• Original CNIC of the patient (for adults aged 18 and over)
• B-Form linked to a parent's CNIC (for children under 18)

There is no separate plastic card to collect.

Beware of fake websites and agents

• There is no registration and no fee. Nobody can charge you to "activate" or "renew" your Sehat Card.
• Check eligibility only on State Life's site, statehealth.com.pk, or on the free helpline 0800-09009.
• Many websites use "8500" or "Sehat Card" in their names. They are not official. Never enter your CNIC on them.
• The old programme website, pmhealthprogram.gov.pk, was not loading when we checked on 29 September 2026.
• If a hospital asks you to pay for treatment the card covers, call 0800-09009.

See our guide: How to spot a fake government scheme website.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sehat Card available in Punjab?

Only partly. Punjab runs its own Sehat Card, separate from this federal programme. Since 30 June 2025, the Punjab card no longer works in government hospitals. Punjab's health insurance company (PHIMC) says treatment in government hospitals "was already completely free and still remains free". The card still works at listed private hospitals in Punjab.

As of September 2026, we found no announcement bringing the card back to Punjab's government hospitals. Instead, Punjab funds separate programmes there, such as the Children Heart Surgery Programme and the dialysis and transplant programme. The Punjab Sehat Card helpline is 0800-07542.

A Punjab resident cannot use the federal Islamabad, AJK and GB card. It is only for people whose CNIC shows a permanent address in those areas.

How do I check my Sehat Card online with my CNIC?

Go to State Life's eligibility page, enter your 13-digit CNIC number and the CNIC's issue date, and press Check. You can also SMS your CNIC number to 8500 or call 0800-09009.

Has the Sehat Card been restored in Islamabad?

Yes. It was restored on 16 January 2026 after almost two years. In June 2026 the Health Minister said it was running at 42 hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and that about Rs 2 billion had been spent on patients in five months.

Does the Sehat Card work in AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan?

Yes. AJK and GB are covered by the same programme as Islamabad. At the relaunch, the Health Minister said 70 hospitals would be listed across the three areas. People with CNICs from these areas can also be treated at 16 hospitals in Karachi.

How long will the Sehat Card run?

The current plan is funded until 30 June 2027. The government has not said what happens after that.

Sources

• Press Information Department, Government of Pakistan, 12 January 2026: National Steering Committee approves the relaunch. Free hospital care for all permanent resident families of ICT, AJK and GB, Rs 40 billion, State Life and NADRA, until 30 June 2027.
• Dawn, 16 January 2026: PM Shehbaz relaunches Sehat Card in ICT, AJK and GB. Rs 720,000 per family a year, 70 hospitals, 16 Karachi hospitals.
• Radio Pakistan, 16 January 2026: over ten million people to benefit. Permanent address on CNIC, treatment with CNIC or B-Form.
• ProPakistani, 13 January 2026: federal government restores Sehat Sahulat health card. Suspended since March 2024, resumed 16 January.
• ProPakistani, 16 January 2026: CDWP clears Rs 40.18 billion programme. Inpatient treatment only.
• Dawn, 11 June 2026: health facilitation scheme reinstated in Islamabad. 42 hospitals in the twin cities.
• The Nation, 2 September 2026: PM Health Card expanded to Islamabad, GB, AJK. SMS 8500, helpline 0800-09009, Islamabad hospitals.
• State Life, checked 29 September 2026: PM National Health Program. Covered treatments, CNIC and B-Form rules, helpline 0800-09009.
• Dawn, 30 June 2025: health insurance closed at Punjab's public hospitals
• Punjab Health Initiative Management Company, checked 29 September 2026: FAQs. Helpline 0800-07542, private hospitals only.