Budget 2020-21: Punjab's health sector funding up 1.86%

The largest province has only allocated Rs13 billion to battle Covid-19

LAHORE:

The Punjab government has earmarked Rs284.2 billion for the health sector in the budget, an increase of only 1.86% compared to last year.

In the last budget, Rs279 billion was provided to the health sector for the financial year 2019-20.

The current budget also flaunts a special allocation of Rs13 billion for coronavirus alleviation in the country’s largest province, which is a meager 4.57% of the total sum earmarked for the health sector.

Punjab has not witnessed the flattening of the Covid-19 cases curve so far and battles to contain the contagion.

An amount of Rs12 billion has been set by the authorities to be spent on the Sehat Insaf Card Programme.

A major chunk of the health sector budget (Rs250.7 billion) has been allocated for running expenditures and over Rs33 billion has been kept aside for the development schemes.

Moreover, Rs6 billion will be disbursed to the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department (SHC&MED) for improvement and provision of facilities in District Headquarter Hospitals (DHQs) of Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal and Gujranwala.

The Integrated Reproductive Maternal and Newborn Child Health and Nutrition Programme will be granted Rs1.7 billion in financial year 2020-21 to fund its projects.

Furthermore, facilities will be upgraded in Wazirabad Institute of Cardiology, Punjab Institute of Neurosciences (PINS) and Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Centre.

According to the budget documents, the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD) would spend Rs11.6 billion on the uplift of Tehsil Headquarters Hospitals, DHQ Hospitals and Basic Health Centres under the Prime Minister’s Health Initiative.

The government also plans to invest in health facilities across Punjab to ensure regional equalisation.

The documents show that Rs127.15 billion have been designated for health services, slightly over Rs6 billion for public health services and Rs23.92 billion for the health administration.

A source in the health department said that the authorities faced severe shortage of specialised staff to deal with the pandemic and ultimately they had to divert the existing staff to Covid-19 wards.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2020.