Pakistan to spend Rs 73.9 billion on health sector in 2021-22.

ISLAMABAD -- Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives, Asad Umar on Tuesday said the government wold spend Rs 73.9 billion on health sector in different schemes during the current fiscal year.

In the current year's Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) 2021-2022,

Rs 21.7 billion had been allocated to the Ministry of National Health Services, regulation for 40 new and ongoing schemes, he said.

In a high-level policy review meeting, Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives, Asad Umar made a detailed review of the new and ongoing health schemes that had received federal funding in the current and previous fiscal years here, said a press release issued.

This was a 50 percent increase from the budget allocated to the Ministry last year, he said.

In addition, Rs 2 billion had been allocated to health projects under the Finance Division, Rs 4.4 billion to health projects under Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan, and Rs 2.8 billion to health projects under Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, totaling to Rs 30.9 billion committed for improved health services for the people of Pakistan, he said.

The minister said these health schemes included ground-breaking of 16 new health facilities and two up-gradation projects, completion and inauguration of three new health facilities and 10 upgraded facilities in the current year, and completion of 12 new and nine upgraded health facilities in 2023.

He said these included the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Gynecology and Obstetrics in Rawalpindi, a state-of-the-art Accident and Emergency Centre at PIMS Islamabad, Upgradation of Neurology and Nephrology Departments of PIMS, Establishment of Polyclinics, a 200-bedded hospital in Skardu and a Medical and Nursing College and a Cardiac Hospital in Gilgit, Atomic energy commission hospitals' upgradations in AJK, Karachi, Bahawalpur and Lahore.

While presenting the Puplic Sector Development Programme Portfolio for heath, Dr. Shabnum Sarfraz, Member Social Sector, highlighted that within these projects, Rs 3.6 billion was earmarked for five provincial projects.

She gave a detailed overview of the additional allocations made in FY 2021-2022 of, Rs 37.96 billion to the provinces under the COVID-19 Responsive Umbrella PC1 of the Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives on a cost-sharing basis.

She said this was dedicated to strengthening the infectious disease management and critical care...