KARACHI, June 20: Under the Sindh’s Public Sector Development Programme for the fiscal 2003-04, Rs120.26 million is proposed to be spent for kicking off 24 healthcare projects in Karachi. In addition, Rs4.5 million will be spent on the commencement of new schemes in two medical institutions of the city.

The total allocation for the health schemes stands at Rs129 million. Of the Rs120.26 million that has been set aside for new projects, about 46 per cent will go to the Civil Hospital Karachi where three projects are proposed to be undertaken.

These projects, costing Rs55.11 million, are: installation of a 100KV diesel generator including accessories (Rs1.5 million); procurement of equipment for operation theatres (Rs4.61 million); and, procurement of angiography equipment with facility of angiography (Rs49 million).

The Lyari General Hospital will be given Rs5 million which is proposed to be spent on renovation and rehabilitation of buildings and services, including equipment.

A similar amount is proposed to go to the Sindh Government Services Hospital. This money will be spent on extending and improving the infrastructure and services available.

For the non-teaching hospitals, health centres and dispensaries Rs55.15 million has been allocated. The health centres that are proposed to be established with this money include: 36-bed hospital in Gulbarg Town (Rs1 million); 36-bed hospital and maternity home in Surjani Town (Rs2 million); 50-bed hospital in Metroville, SITE (Rs2 million); maternity home in Ghazi Town, Jafar-i-Tayyar Society (Rs2 million); mother and child health dispensary in Al-Falah Town, Shah Faisal Colony (Rs1.65 million); advanced emergency centre in Sindh Government Hospital, Liaquatabad (Rs5 million); urban health centre opposite Allah Rakkha Park (Rs2 million); urban health centre in Korangi (Rs2 million); mother and child centre in Shireen Jinnah Colony (Rs1.5 million), and maternity home in Gizri (Rs3 million).

One million rupees have been set aside for providing equipment to a maternity home in Landhi. Other schemes for improving selected health centres are: upgrading the rural health centre in Baldia to a 50-bed hospital (Rs2 million); upgrading rural health centre in Murad Memon Goth to a 50-bed hospital (Rs3 million); addition of ICU and trauma centre to the Sindh Government Hospital Korangi (Rs5 million); improvement of the Rafiqui Shaheed Employees Hospital (Rs5 million); improvement of Spencer Eye Hospital (Rs4 million); upgrading the basic health unit in Pehelwan Goth, Gulshan-i-Iqbal to the level of urban health centre (Rs4 million); extension of Sindh Government Qatar Hospital (Rs7 million); and, upgrading the defunct KMC Hospital in Model Colony to the level of a general hospital (Rs2 million).

The Rs4.5 million that has been earmarked for new schemes in the health education sector projects are proposed to be spent on two new schemes, one each in the Dow Medical College and Sindh Medical College.

Meanwhile, a total of Rs52.835 million has been set aside for the prevention and control of various diseases in Sindh under the provincial Public Sector Development Programme for the fiscal 2003-2004.

All the prevention and control initiatives were kicked off in previous fiscal years as no new project has been announced this time round. The biggest allocation has been made for the prevention and control of TB for which Rs20 million has been set aside. The second largest allocation of Rs 11 million has been made to strengthen the malaria control programme.

In the development plan, Rs8 million has been set aside for control and prevention of blindness, making this the third largest initiative for the fiscal. The EPI has been given Rs6 million.

Five million rupees have been earmarked for the Sindh AIDS Control Programme and Rs1.55 million for the development of various education material.