Revamping standards: We attach great importance to health, education, says Mujtaba

Minister says 700 BHUs have been transformed into modern health facilities

LAHORE: Excise and Taxation Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman said on Thursday that the government attached great importance to the health and education sectors.

The minister was speaking to a delegation of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers at his residence. Rehman said record funds had been allocated for the sectors in the provincial budget and additional resources had been provided to enable the quick realisation of millennium development goals (MDGs). The minister said 95 per cent of discretionary funds were being used to finance the treatment of underprivileged patients and aid the disadvantaged.

Rehman said the funds allocated for the education and health sector constituted 27 per cent and 14 per cent of total public expenditure. He said four new Danish schools would be established in backward areas to facilitate the provision of quality education to gifted children. Rehman said computer laboratories would be established at 990 high schools and missing facilities would be provided at 7,500 institutions. The minister said 500 schools would be established over the fiscal year.

He said the government had provided a Rs1.41 billion-incentive package to specialist medical professionals to ensure their presence at THQ hospitals. The minister said 700 BHUs had been transformed into state-of-the-art health facilities. He said the facilities had been functioning around-the-clock.

The minister said skilled birth attendants, lady health workers and visitors were being appointed at health centres due to the difference between maternal mortality rates in covered and uncovered areas. He said the under-five mortality rate presently stood at 94 per 1,000. The minister said this would be reduced to the MDG of 45 by the end of the year. Rehman said the newborn mortality rate was 54 per 1,000 that would be reduced to 25. He said the infant mortality rate of 77 per 1,000 would be reduced to 40. Rehman said the maternal mortality ratio of 350-500:100,000 would be reduced to 140.

He said skilled birth attendants were present at 20 per cent of deliveries. The minister said the figure would be raised to over 90 per cent.

He said health insurance cards would be provided to card-holding disadvantaged. The minister said this would enable them to get state-of-the-art treatment at private medical facilities. He said a sum of Rs10.82 billion had been reserved for the provision of drugs at public hospitals. The minister said Rs1 billion had been allocated for mobile health units operating in remote areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2015.