KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Saturday directed the works and services department to expedite work on 36 ongoing schemes of health department and complete them by June 2022.

Presiding over a meeting to review the development portfolio of sector, he also directed the planning and development department to resolve the issues of cost escalation of the schemes.

The meeting was attended by Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, CM’s Principal Secretary Fayaz Jatoi, Finance Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro, Health Secretary Zulfikar Shah, Special Secretary to CM Rahim Shaikh, Works and Services Secretary Imran Atta Soomro and other officials concerned.

The CM was told that 171 schemes costing Rs18.4 billion had been launched in the health sector, of them 96 worth Rs11.3bn were under way and 75 costing Rs7bn were new ones. It was stated that the government had released Rs7.8bn for 96 ongoing schemes and the utilisation of funds was recorded at Rs3.1bn.

The meeting was told that Rs3.35bn had been released for 75 new schemes and the utilisation was Rs1.17bn.

The chief minister said that he had released 60pc of the allocated amount, but the utilisation showed only 29pc.

The health department pointed out that out of 75 new schemes, 27 had been approved and work on them started.

The meeting was informed that the planning and development department had approved 16 schemes and their advice had been issued, while 23 schemes were under process of approval from provincial and federal governments and the PC-I of 25 schemes was under process.

It was pointed out that the key challenges for the delay in completion of schemes was dollar-rupee parity and imposition of 20pc GST which had escalated the cost of schemes.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2022