Unjustified austerity: Of tight belts and penniless health, education systems

CADD seeks waiver of 30% cut on budgets from PM.

ISLAMABAD:

Two summaries have been forwarded to the prime minister to wave off the 30% cut in the non-development budgets for health and education in the ongoing fiscal year as an austerity measure in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

Parliamentary Secretary for Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Raja Javed Ikhlas on Monday sent the two summaries to the prime minister requesting to exempt the two sectors from austerity cuts. The summary has also been sent to the finance secretary.

Education

The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) is currently looking after 424 educational institutions from the primary to the postgraduate level and the number of students, according to CADD estimates, is around 210,000.

During the last two financial years, from 2011 to 2013, a 20% cut was imposed on non-development budget and purchase of physical assets was banned. The ban seriously affected the teaching and learning process as all educational institutions badly needed the budgeted money for 2013-14, the summary stated. The budget for utilities, travel allowance, stationery, transfers, physical assets, repair and maintenance was slashed. The incumbent government increased the cut from 20% to 30% on July 1, 2013.

FDE Acting Director General Mehmood Akhtar Malik stated that they were facing a severe financial crunch in the non-development budget especially after the 30% cut. “We have requested the government to lift the ban and hope the waiver will help addressing pending issues at FDE,” he stated. The prime minister’s office has asked CADD to specify which facilities should be exempted from the cut.

Health

In the health sector the situation is even more bleak as the cut was imposed on development and non-development budget of federally administered hospitals, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), Polyclinic Hospital and National Institute of Rehabilitative Medicine (NIRM) in July 2013.

The  summary stated that the institutions provide free medial care facilities. “Polyclinic Hospital has 33 dispensaries including two maternal and child health centres and two civil surgeon centres working as subordinate care facilities in Islamabad.” It also added that Pims is currently treating over 1 million patients annually, one third in the emergency and accident department. Every day, doctors perform 60 surgeries in 18 operation theatres, it added. NIRM also provides orthopaedic and rehabilitation facilities to patients from across the country.

The Senate Standing Committee on CADD also suggested the waiver last year and took notice of deteriorating facilities like breakdown of central air conditioning, laundry, telephone exchange and absence of in-house incinerators for waste disposal at Pims.

CADD Spokesperson Rafique Tahir stated that CADD was facing a shortfall and a reply had been forwarded to the PM. “We hope the PM will exempt health and education from the cut,” he concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2014.