Health projects: Over 100 health workers unpaid
Delay affects progress of HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, hepatitis, programmes
Delay affects progress of HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, hepatitis, programmes. PHOTO: http://nhsrc.gov.pk/
ISLAMABAD:
Over a hundred employees have not been paid since July this year, said a senior official of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC). The official requested not to be named.
The government has failed to release funds for around 20 health projects almost three months after allocations were made under the annual Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
The delay in release of funds has affected the progress of crucial ongoing campaigns such as malaria, TB, hepatitis, blindness and HIV/AIDS control and prevention programmes at the federal level.
Projects for which funds have not been released include then Rollback Malaria Control Programme, National TB Control Programme, Prime Minister’s Programme for Prevention and Control of Hepatitis, National Programme for Prevention and Control of Blindness, Coordination Units for HIV/AIDS for Global Funds Islamabad, and a population welfare programme in FATA and AJK. They also include some of the projects of the National Institute of Health (NIH).
“The Ministry of NHSRC has been facing difficulties to carry out prevention and treatment activities under these projects at the federal level since July,” the official said.
He said the major problem the ministry faced was to ensure uninterrupted supply of medicines at the federal hospitals for the patients who are under treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria and hepatitis.
With funds yet to be released, some programme managers are procuring medicine against deferred payments.
The official said that the delay would not only affect the ongoing projects and endanger many patients’ lives, but also hinder progress in achieving the targets.
“The employees working under these projects have not been paid for the last three months. Many could not go to their hometowns for Eid as they had no money,” he added.
Fazal Hakeem Khattak, the deputy chief of health at the Planning Commission of Pakistan, said that the Ministry of NHSCR had submitted PC-1 proposals of some of the projects but they had some shortcomings and the ministry was asked to remove them.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th, 2015.
Over a hundred employees have not been paid since July this year, said a senior official of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC). The official requested not to be named.
The government has failed to release funds for around 20 health projects almost three months after allocations were made under the annual Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
The delay in release of funds has affected the progress of crucial ongoing campaigns such as malaria, TB, hepatitis, blindness and HIV/AIDS control and prevention programmes at the federal level.
Projects for which funds have not been released include then Rollback Malaria Control Programme, National TB Control Programme, Prime Minister’s Programme for Prevention and Control of Hepatitis, National Programme for Prevention and Control of Blindness, Coordination Units for HIV/AIDS for Global Funds Islamabad, and a population welfare programme in FATA and AJK. They also include some of the projects of the National Institute of Health (NIH).
“The Ministry of NHSRC has been facing difficulties to carry out prevention and treatment activities under these projects at the federal level since July,” the official said.
He said the major problem the ministry faced was to ensure uninterrupted supply of medicines at the federal hospitals for the patients who are under treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria and hepatitis.
With funds yet to be released, some programme managers are procuring medicine against deferred payments.
The official said that the delay would not only affect the ongoing projects and endanger many patients’ lives, but also hinder progress in achieving the targets.
“The employees working under these projects have not been paid for the last three months. Many could not go to their hometowns for Eid as they had no money,” he added.
Fazal Hakeem Khattak, the deputy chief of health at the Planning Commission of Pakistan, said that the Ministry of NHSCR had submitted PC-1 proposals of some of the projects but they had some shortcomings and the ministry was asked to remove them.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th, 2015.