Pakistan

Health to take larger chunk of GoB budget

Health experts in the meeting predicted that the next three months might be sensitive

Our Correspondent June 09, 2020

K-P Health sector gets policy advisory body. PHOTO: FILE

QUETTA: The government of Balochistan has decided to allocate a major chunk of the provincial budget to the health sector.

The decision was taken during a high-level meeting presided by Chief Minister Jam Kamal on Monday in order to review the spread of Covid-19 and its impact on the provincial environment.

Parliamentary Secretary for Health Dr Rubab Buledi, Additional Chief Secretary for Home, Secretary Health, Secretary Finance, Secretary Sports, IG Police, DG Health, DG Food, DG Agriculture and other government officials were present in the meeting.

K-P to ‘prioritise health sector in budget’

Health experts in the meeting predicted that the next three months might be sensitive in terms of the spread of coronavirus because the nature of this contagious virus and its spread was noted different from other provinces. Hence, majority of patients are being recovered in Balochistan and the deaths rate is far less than other provinces.

Briefing the meeting regarding testing capacity in the province, Secretary of Health Dostain Khan Jamaldini said, we have enhanced daily Covid-19 testing up to 1,500 while 72,598 people have been screened-out .“Provincial labs are equipped with 29,919 VTM and 21,037 Extraction Kits,” he informed the meeting, adding that NDMA imparted 10 ventilators and 10 X-Ray machines.

Covid-19 patients deplore lack of facilities at hospital

He added that a large amount of provincial funds is being spent on the health sector and we are going to start Covid-19 testing in Khuzdar, Turbat and Zhob districts.

The meeting expressed satisfaction over plasma donations in RBC center Quetta through which coronavirus patients are being treated and recovered.

Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Aliyani has directed concerned authorities to ensure implementation of SOPs as the provincial government restored inter-province and inter-district transportation, ordering strict action against transporters violating safety precautions.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2020.