Reviewing the progress of 170 ongoing health department development projects worth Rs13 billion, Sindh’s chief minister on Monday expressed displeasure on the utilisation ratio of the released funds and directed the health and works & services departments to complete at least 17 important schemes by the second week of June.
CM Syed Murad Ali Shah said his government has given special attention to the health sector, particularly the construction of special wards, OPDs, ENT units, ICUs and upgrading of RHCs and other health facilities. “If these schemes are not completed on time, it will not be fair to Sindh’s people.”
The health department has launched 170 schemes with an allocation of Rs13.5 billion against which Rs5.79 billion has been released, while the utilisation is Rs2.4 billion. The CM said the works & services and health departments are not focusing on the completion of the development projects. He directed the departments’ secretaries to devise a plan to complete the maximum number of schemes, at the very least those for which 100 per cent allocation has been utilised.
The health department has launched 17 important schemes, each of which has an allocation of around Rs25 million and their total allocation comes to Rs151.855 million against which the government has released Rs124.693 million but the expenditures are Rs37.558 million.
The CM said he was unhappy with the engineers of the works & services department who were not taking an interest in the completion of the schemes. There are 14 other schemes of Rs1.3 billion against which Rs470.8 million have been released but only Rs110.122 million has been utilised.
The government has decided to release funds of these schemes in two instalments. The CM said that the first instalment released for these schemes seems to have not been utilised, so the remaining funds cannot be released.
There is another category of 136 schemes of Rs10.9 billion for which the government had committed to release funds in four equal instalments. The government has released Rs5,202.372 million and the utilisation is Rs2,262.226 million.
The schemes taken up for completion include improvement of JPMC for Rs422.7 million, establishment of 50-bed medical & surgical ICU and expansion of Casualty & OPD of Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad for Rs283.5 million, construction of E&T/Eye & Fascia Maxillary Block at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi for Rs334.178 million, and strengthening of RHCs at Bubak and Talti, District Jamshoro for Rs43 million.
The CM directed the works & services and health secretaries to personally visit the ongoing health projects and get them completed on time.
The meeting was attended by Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Jamal Abro, Health Secretary Saeed Awan, Finance Secretary Najam Shah, Works Secretary Sajjad Abbasi, P&D Secretary Shireen Narejo, Special Secretary Health Dr Dabeer, P&D Member Development Fatah Tunio and others.