Health budget: CADD hospitals allotted Rs4.2 billion

Substantial decrease from the Rs7.635b allocated in the previous fiscal year

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has allocated some Rs4.20 billion for the development schemes of hospitals running under the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD).

Some 16 new schemes have been announced while five are old projects under the Public Sector Programme (PSDP).

This allocation is far lower than the Rs7.635 billion the government had allocated for the sector last year.

A new project includes the extension of the Organ Transplant Centre with a cost of Rs500 million while the same amount allocated for the upgradation of existing liver transplant centre at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) which has not been working due to the absence of trained human resource.

Some Rs0.725 billion has been pledged to replace and upgrade the HVAC plant at Pims that is out of order for years.

Some Rs0.3 billion, earmarked for the establishment of a Centre for Neurosciences at Pims, and another Rs0.2 billion allocated for the upgradation of other facilities at Pims.

Rs0.295 billion has been allocated for the establishment of a sterilization unit, and disposal of medical waste at Pims.

For strengthening the intensive care unit at the Federal Government Services Hospital, Polyclinic, Rs0.046 million have been pledged while the up-gradation of its radiology Rs0.11 billion has been allocated.

A project for building the Federal Medical College will receive Rs0.2 billion.

An ongoing project of establishment of Centre for Hematology Disorder at Pims will get Rs0.4 billion.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2018.