Not even 25% of health, education funds utilised: report

Despite ‘emergency’ in both sectors, govt has failed to use budgetary allocations to complete development schemes

KARACHI: Over the years, the Sindh government's response to utilisation of budget funds has been lukewarm at best. The three-quarter progress report of the 2017-18 budget revealed that even after the passage of nine months, the government has utilised only 21% of the development funds allocated for education and 14% of the development funds allocated for health.

An 'emergency' was declared in both sectors to expedite the pace of development work but the government’s performance is a clear indicator that the emergency was nothing more than political showmanship.

"A total of Rs21 billion was allocated for the education sector - primary, secondary, college and university education. In the last three quarters, Rs9 billion has been released by the finance department, of which only Rs4 billion has been spent on various schemes so far," explained an official. He added that Rs11 billion was earmarked for primary education, of which only Rs5.08 billion has been released and Rs3 billion spent as of the second week of March. Similarly, Rs5 billion has been allocated for college education and of the Rs2 billion released by the finance department, only Rs900 million has been used.

The development allocation for special education stands at Rs200 million but only Rs30 million has been utilised as yet.



A similar situation prevails in the universities and boards section, where only Rs300 million of the released Rs900 million has been utilised. The allocated amount is Rs3.6 billion. "There are a total 200 small and large schemes in the education department which the government has failed to utilise funds for," the progress report, available with The Express Tribune, read.

Among others schemes that are lying dormant are the upgrade of schools and colleges and installation of solar panel systems in educational institutions. The funds for the provision of basic and missing facilities and establishment of vocational and technical centres for girls in Naushero Feroz, Khairpur Mir, Kamber-Shahdadkot and Matiari districts have not been spent. According to the budget books, the government has earmarked funds for a mono-technical institute in Garhi Khuda Bux and a girls’ degree college in Samaro, Umerkot district, but these schemes have yet to see the light of day.

In the health sector, development funds of Rs15 billion have been allocated in the current fiscal year, of which Rs7.37 billion has been released but the department lacks the capacity to use the funds. It has so far utilised a measly Rs2.1 billion. “Not a single penny has been used on around 130 schemes in the sector so far and hardly 14% of the total development funds have been used," disclosed a senior official in the health department.



Among other schemes for which funds have not been utilised are trauma centres on national highways near Sehwan and Khairpur Mir, an operation theatre complex at the Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College, establishment of a neurosurgery and orthopedic unit at the National Institute of Child Health in Karachi, establishment of a 25-bed trauma centre at the Sindh Government Lyari General Hospital in Karachi and establishment of a cardiac surgery complex with facilities of coronary angiography, cardiac catheterised laboratory, cardiac bypass surgery and chest surgery at Chandka Medical College Hospital, Larkana. The schemes also include the construction of a new outpatient department block for neurosurgery, urology and paediatric surgery, construction of a two-storey operation theatre and a 50-bed surgical and medical intensive care unit at the Peoples Medical College Hospital, Nawabshah.

Similarly, funds have been allocated for the construction of a nursing staff hostel, new eye operation theatre and strengthening of the trauma centre at Chandka Medical College Hospital in Larkana but the amount has not yet been utilised. There is also a budgetary provision for the establishment of a 30-bed paediatric intensive care unit at Liaquat University Hospital in Hyderabad but it is also in limbo.

"A total of Rs247 billion has been allocated for the development portfolio in the provincial budget, of which Rs188 billion been released but only Rs100 billion been utilised," according to the report.