RECORDER REPORT

PESHAWAR: Allocation in budget estimates 2017-18 for health department has been increased from Rs 5,521.645 million to Rs.35,496.385 million, which shows an increase of 39pc, states White Paper of KP budget 2017-18.

The budget of health department includes provincial health institutions and also regular grant-in-aid to various Medical Teaching Institutions (MTIs).

According to the White Paper 2017-18, the provision of quality health services is the priority of KP government and institutional reforms have been launched and an independent monitoring unit is established to ensure the quality and sustainability of reforms initiatives.

All major hospitals in the province have been given statutory autonomy, under independent Boards of Directors. The focus of these initiatives is to provide health services to the people of the province. Better pay packages have been introduced for health professional.

According to statistical details last year an amount of Rs 7,534.840 million was allocated in head of salary while the current year the provincial government has allocated Rs 3,623.372 million. Similarly, non-salary expenditure in 2016-17 was Rs 986.805 million as compared to Rs.11,873.013 million allocated for the same head in the budget for current financial year 2017-18.

The development expenditure, which was Rs 7,479.114 million in last fiscal year had declined to Rs 16,474.710 million for the current year.

A sum of Rs 3,780.440 million has been estimated for the current financial year 2017-18 to be transferred to district health offices while another amount of Rs18,921.128 million have been allocated as grant-in-aid for various Medical Teaching Institutions (MTIs).

There are a total of 23 MTIs in the province, which will be provided this grant-in-aid. The highest amount of Rs3,877.362 million has been allocated for Postgraduate Medical Institution Peshawar followed by an allocation of the sum of Rs.3,182.586 million for Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar.

Other MTIs including Khyber Teaching Hospital will get a grant-in-aid of Rs1, 664.972 million while Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) will get Rs.1, 652.857 million and Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad Rs.1.594.854 million.

Other MTIs, which will get grant-in-aid are Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, DHQ Hospital Bannu, Women & Children Hospital Bannu, Khalifa Gulnawaz Tech. Hospital, Bannu, Bannu Medical College, Gomal Medical College, D.I. Khan, Mufti Mahmood Memorial Hospital, D.I. Khan, DHQ Hospital, D.I. Khan, Mardan Medical Complex, Bacha Khan Medical College Mardan, Nowshera Medical College, Qazi Hussain Ahmad Medical Complex, Nowshera, Khyber Girls Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan Institute of Community Ophthalmology Hayatabad Medical Complex, Institute of Kidney Disease and Bashir Bilour Memorial Children Hospital, Peshawar.

During last financial year 2016-17, the provincial government created 3,942 posts (Provincial 1,149+2,793 district) of various categories in different health institutions to provide better health facilities to the people of province as well as 1,161 stipendiary slots have also been created.

For the current financial year 2017-18, 1,140 (prov.674+466 district) posts of various categories, as well as 322 stipendiary slots, have been proposed.

Increase in salary for student nurse from Rs.5,000 to Rs.20,000, per student, per month as well as Health Professional Allowance (HPA) extended to MTIs (institutional teaching cadre and specialist cadre doctors to 60,000 per month, Institutional Medical Officer to Rs.42,000 per month and nursing/paramedics both institutional and civil servants to Rs10,000 per month). HPA of Rs10,000 per month also allowed to pharmacists, drug inspectors, drug analysts, chemists/bio-chemists,

physiotherapists and microbiologists during financial year 2016-17.