*Minister says Rs 121.80 billion allocated for health in FY 2014-15 budget
A major chunk of Rs 121.80 billon from the provincial budget is allocated for health which is 11.66 percent of total expenditures of the government, said Minister for Excise, Taxation and Finance Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman while talking to various delegations at his residence on Monday.
Shuja said that the youth are the future of the nation and the government is providing them state-of-the-art healthcare facilities to establish a healthy society in the country. He said that protective healthcare programmes would be implemented to save the children from epidemic, communicable and non-communicable diseases.
He said that the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) aims to reduce morbidity, disabilities and mortality caused by vaccine preventable diseases and vaccination against debilitating dangerous minor ailments such as Polio, Tetanus, Measles, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Hepatitis-B, Pneumonia and Meningitis. He said that immunisation of children against nine deadly diseases will be free of cost at hospitals, health centres and even by mobile teams. He said that the government has reserved Rs 2 billion to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Shuja added that under the EPI all children below one year of age and all pregnant women are vaccinated against tetanus. The priority targets of the programme are polio eradication followed by elimination of Neonatal Tetanus and Measles, he added. He said that seven hundred thousand Pakistani children die of various diseases every year while a large number of children are crippled and by administering simple treatment through immunisation we can save the precious lives. Shuja said that the programmes launched for the maternal and neonatal healthcare will ensure progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in maternal and infant health. The minister said that in order to achieve the results of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the major focus is on protecting the health of people trough strengthening of Primary Health Care and Disease Preventive Programmes and Rs 1.80 billion are being spent for the launching of a healthcare facilities programme to mother and child, whereas, at present new born mortality rate is 54/1000 which would be reduced up to 25 by year 2015.
