Shahdra Hospital has become the centre of Punjab government’s attention with all other crucial development schemes in the health sector getting either a thin sliver of the allocated amount or no funds at all, putting to question the priorities of the health planners, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The Health Department initiated the Shahdara Hospital last year at an estimated cost of Rs 950 million and spent Rs 150 million out of that amount. This year Rs 120 million were allocated for the hospital. However, a sudden shift in the policy decision and directions have been issued to complete the scheme this year by re-appropriating the remaining Rs 680 million after diverting funds from within the health department’s ADP including various need-based schemes which had already received very little allocation.
Sources claim that the rationale behind the sudden shift is political more than addressing the healthcare needs, as many other crucial schemes are lying pending for years with billions of rupees already spent without completion.
A detailed study of the health department’s ADP revealed that many other crucial projects got a very small share in development spending. Surgical Tower at Mayo Hospital has consumed Rs 590 million, but the government revised the allocation from Rs 590 million to only Rs 5 million and even that has not been released. Children Medical Specialties block, upgrading of neurosurgery and the plastic surgery departments have also received nothing. Prevention of hepatitis has got only Rs 20 million, the Wazirabad Institute of Cardiology getting nothing, the Fatima Institute of Dental sciences received only Rs 15 million against allocation of Rs 500 million. In addition to these various rural health centres and grass root health establishments at far flung districts such as Khushab, Bhakkar, MandiBahaudin have received no amount so far. “If a scheme needs Rs 3 billion, it implies it’s important, but if the government has spent Rs 700 million on a scheme it has become even more important due to the investment incurred on it and delaying the scheme means this invested amount will remain parked till its completion, while increasing completion cost as another consequence,” a senior official in the health department said, on the condition of anonymity. Health Secretary Captain (r) Arif Nadeem, however, said the government is dependent on the federal government for cash flows. The main cash flows is during the third and the fourth financial quarters.
“We are trying to complete a few schemes and start utilizing them instead of spending on 200 schemes and completing none. At the end of the day the decision to spend funds on a particular scheme is after all political but the essentiality of Shahdara Hospital cannot be denied by any planning perspective, which will ease the burden of Mayo Hospital.”
“Other schemes including Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology and Bahawalpur Hospital will also be completed. The other schemes will get funds beyond January next year after the federal government releases funds,” he added.
