Drop in allocation does not spell good news

Rs26.8 billion allocated for health in 2014-2015.

ISLAMABAD:

The government has allocated Rs26.8 billion for the health sector in the budget for the next fiscal year, a drop of Rs14.82 billion from the previous year. 

The government has allocated Rs26.8 billion for the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination for under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2014-15. The amount shows a negligible increase in nominal terms from last year’s Rs25.7 billion, and using the government’s own inflation estimate of 9.2% in April, funding, in real terms, has actually decreased slightly. Last year, Rs35.6 billion was earmarked for the health sector, which is already in tatters.

According to PSDP documents, the amount has been allocated for 20 ongoing schemes as opposed to 17 last year. There has been no change in the allocation for ongoing schemes compared to the previous financial year. However, the Emergency Plan for Polio Eradication has been added to the list of ongoing schemes and Rs1 billion have been earmarked for it.

Challenges 

The health sector continued to suffer post- devolution due to lack of management and coordination between federal and provincial departments as well as funding issues. Lack of integration and ownership after decentralisation of health programmes was also a major factor for failure to achieve targets. Lack of evidence-based planning and decision-making that lead to new cases of measles and polio followed by an outbreak of communicable and non-communicable disease could not be controlled in time.

Moreover, weak management and governance systems particularly at district and sub-district levels, poorly motivated and inadequately skilled staff also contributed to the failure in achieving health targets.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2014.