KARACHI, May 25: A minimum increase of Rs2 billion is expected in next year's budgetary allocations for the health sector, sources said on Thursday.

It was stated that the federal health department had already sent its requirements and relevant demands to the finance department, which under a deliberate government policy had been extremely alive to the significance of adequate funding in the public health sector.

The very approach is well evident in the background of the fact that the health budget has increased to Rs10.5 billion during the last three years, they said.

A sum of Rs2.7 billion was being spent across the country on the employment of lady health workers and Rs2.5 billion on the treatment of patients suffering from hepatitis.

Another Rs32 billion have been earmarked for mother-child health under a five-year programme to meet medium development goals.

Various other projects including those for prevention of blindness, Hepatitis B, HIV/Aids worth a total of Rs7.2 billion have also been started by the health ministry.—APP