KARACHI, June 20: Although health is a provincial subject, almost all the vertical programmes and international assistance initiatives are controlled at the federal level.

This was stated by the National Association of Family Doctors Pakistan in a press release issued here on Saturday. It mentions that there is hardly any progress towards lessening of the burden of diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and water-borne diseases.

The association maintained that the slight increase in the allocations for health sector under the new budget was disappointing, as it would not serve any purpose. It was pointed out that the budget speech was silent on the issue of the career structure for doctors.

The contract system under which a doctor was paid only Rs6,000 per month indicated the authorities' apathy towards the medical profession. The association appealed to the policy-makers that special attention be paid to the health sector. It also demanded that up to six per cent of the budgetary spending should be earmarked for the health sector.