The Sindh government has allocated Rs214.547 billion for activities in the health sector for the financial year 2023-24 against the budget estimate of Rs196.454 billion during the previous financial year.
The highest grant of Rs15.316 billion has been kept for the Sindh Institute of Urology & Transplantation (SIUT) Karachi, with an increase of Rs5 billion over the previous year’s allocation, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah announced in his budget speech in the provincial assembly on Saturday.
“The funds will be utilised in the fiscal year 2023-24 for the installation/purchase of two robotic surgery systems, one for the BIUT Shaheed Benazirabad, and the other for the SIUT Larkana, the Mehrunnisa Medical Centre Karachi and the SIUT Sukkur Medical Centre.”
He announced that Rs6 billion has been kept for the Pir Abdul Qadir Shah Jeelani Institute of Medical Sciences Gambat, including Rs845.246 million for the procurement of a linear accelerator with integrated high-field MRI for the treatment of cancer patients, and Rs1.023 billion for the procurement of a robotic surgical system for the treatment of poor patients.
The provincial government has kept Rs60 million for the treatment of patients requiring bone marrow transplantation at the Dow University of Health Sciences Karachi, while Rs200 million is being provided as grant to the Kidney Centre Karachi, the CM announced.
The CM maintained that the grant of the Indus Hospital Karachi has been increased from Rs2.5 billion to Rs4 billion in the financial year 2023-24, while the grant for the expansion of the Indus Hospital Karachi has been increased from Rs1 billion to Rs4 billion.
Similarly, for the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) Karachi, an amount of Rs7.196 billion, along with a total of 2,713 posts, has been earmarked in the current financial year 2022-23.
“In addition to that, the JPMC has been converted into a 2,208-bed facility from 1,100 beds, the hiring of 1,925 well-qualified and experienced senior doctors, staff nurses and skilled technicians to run the hospital 24/7 is being done, and the budgetary provision for 2023-24 has been increased from Rs7.196 billion to Rs11.217 billion, along with a total of 4,258 posts.”
The provincial chief executive also informed the House that Rs1.095 billion has been allocated for the installation and the procurement of one more CyberKnife system.
At the same time, the grant for the Patients Aid Foundation at the JPMC Karachi has been increased from Rs240 million to Rs640 million, he announced, saying that the recurring grant of Rs200 million has been allocated for the robotic surgical system.
He added that an additional 180 slots of PGs has been created at a cost of Rs225.482 million, while an additional 165 slots of student nurses has been created at a cost of Rs59.4 million at the JPMC.
According to the CM, Rs12.75 billion has been kept for primary healthcare activities through the PPHI Sindh, and the grant of the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Institute of Trauma Karachi has been increased from Rs2.4 billion to Rs3.1 billion in the next financial year.
Funds of Rs600 million have been allocated for the Trauma Centre Larkana, while the grant of the Syed Abdullah Shah Institute of Medical Science Sehwan Sharif, Jamshoro, has been increased from Rs1.35 billion to Rs1.85 billion, he said.
He added that funds of Rs750 million as a grant to the Sindh Institute of Advanced Endoscopy & Gastroenterology at the Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi have been allocated in the next financial year.
“Moreover, the government is providing free treatment of dialysis for poor patients through a grant amounting to Rs205 million to different kidney institutes,” announced the CM.
Shah maintained that the provincial government ensures the provision of free health services for almost all major diseases prevailing in society. For this purpose, he pointed out, the Sindh government provides funds as grants-in-aid or single-line grants amounting to Rs85.161 billion to different institutes, trusts and NGOs for the welfare of the poor masses.
The Sindh government, prioritising health services, has allocated significant funds amounting to Rs10.102 billion, with a net increase of six per cent for nine vertical programmes operational in the province in the next financial year, he added.
He said that Rs434 million has been allocated as a grant-in-aid for 13 different institutes/NGOs in the financial year 2023-24 for the treatment of thalassaemia patients in Sindh.
“The provision of Rs1.95 billion has been made for three children healthcare institutes. Under the Accelerated Action Plan (Agriculture Sector), we are committing Rs453.625 million to combat child stunting and malnutrition,” he added.
“The grant for the Sindh Institute of Child Health & Neonatology has been increased from Rs200 million to Rs300 million,” he said, adding that a total of Rs2.612 billion has been allocated as a grant-in-aid to four children’s healthcare institutes.
The CM said that for the National Institute of Child Health Karachi, an amount of Rs1.758 billion, along with a total of 1,235 posts, had been earmarked in the current financial year 2022-23.
He said the bed capacity has been increased from 443 to 553, and the hiring of 310 well-qualified and experienced senior doctors, staff nurses and skilled technicians to run the hospital 24/7 has been approved. “For the year 2023-24, the budgetary provision has been increased from Rs1.758 billion to Rs2.067 billion, along with a total 1,262 posts.”
Medical education
The CM announced that Rs13.252 billion has been kept for year 2023-24 for medical education, saying that for grants and stipends of medical universities, Rs4.162 billion has been allocated as grants-in-aid for the JSMU, the DUHS and the Peoples University of Medical & Health Sciences for Women Shaheed Benazirabad.
A provision of Rs3.073 billion has been made to pay stipends to postgraduate students and house job officers of five medical universities against the budget estimate of Rs2.881 billion. Moreover, the rates of stipends for postgraduate students and house job officers have been revised.
“The government has allocated Rs265.93 million for the Directorate of Mobile Diagnostic & Emergency Healthcare Services for operational activities. The operational services of mobile healthcare units will be started in rural and remote areas of seven districts of Sindh in the financial year 2023-24,” the CM concluded.