KARACHI, June 19: The government has chalked out a programme, in the new budget 2006-07, to improve health services in urban and rural areas by providing better facilities in public sector hospitals.

In order to meet expenditures for the upgrading and equipping of government hospitals, an amount of Rs1 billion has been earmarked in the budget for providing grants to all hospitals in Sindh.

While the health development budget has been raised to Rs850 million from the revised amount of Rs750 million.

The service structure of the paramedical staff has already been improved and their scales have been upgraded for facilitating them with better remuneration and benefits with an implication of Rs80 million.

According to budget documents, all major hospitals in the province will be equipped with modern machinery for improving their diagnostic capabilities.

Under the programme, lithography machines, angiography and angioplasty machinery, MRI and CT scanners are being provided at different teaching hospitals. A cancer hospital is also being established at Nawabshah.

For ongoing development schemes at teaching hospitals, Rs283.442 million have been allocated while Rs57 million have been earmarked for new schemes there.

For other hospitals in the province, Rs81.410 have been allocated for ongoing development schemes and Rs98 million for new schemes.

Similarly, Rs83.289 have been allocated for ongoing schemes in the medical education sector, and Rs29 million for new schemes. While Rs25.915 have been earmarked for ongoing PHC administration/training schemes.

Apart from the above allocations, Rs3.76 million have been allocated for nutrition programmes, Rs141.311 million for preventive programmes, and Rs46.873 million have been set aside for completing ongoing foreign aided projects.In addition, an amount of Rs100 million has also been earmarked as incentives to doctors for posting in rural areas.

An accident emergency and ancillary services complex is being set up in the Civil Hospital Karachi through federal funding at a cost of Rs1.43 billion.Similar units will be set up at the PMCH Nawabshah, Liaquat University Hospital and Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences through ADP.

In the budget, a grant in aid to the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation has been enhanced from Rs195 million to Rs300 million.

Besides, Rs408.969 million has been earmarked for the purchase of medicines, and Rs192.532 million and Rs9.75 million have been set side for the purchase of machinery/equipment and furniture/fixture in various hospitals.

Likewise, Rs20.308 million have been allocated for X-ray films, and Rs38.406 million for diet in hospitals.