KARACHI, June 10: The Sindh government has proposed an allocation of Rs11 billion for different schemes of the health sector in its annual development programme 2012-13, which is about 59 per cent more than the 2011-12 development allocations, it emerged on Saturday.

A source told Dawn that in the proposed annual development allocations for the health sector, a whopping increase of Rs40 million from Rs5 million in the current budget had been made in the nutrition sub-sector, followed by 105 per increase in the medical education sub-sector. The lowest increase of 13.30 per cent had been proposed in the disease preventive sub-sector, the source added.

The government is likely to earmark Rs3.775 billion for 59 new projects, including 16 those of teaching hospitals and 35 pertaining to other hospitals across the province. Last year it had allocated Rs1.470 billion for 58 new projects.

An amount of about Rs7.225 billion was being allocated for 97 ongoing projects, the source said, adding that priority had been given to expeditious completion of ongoing initiatives with a balance created and maintained in between the ongoing and new portfolio.

Health department officials hoped that 38 of the ongoing schemes would be completed by June 2013.

In the next financial year, with an allocation of Rs428.5 million, the process of strengthening of 11 district headquarters hospitals and upgrade of seven taluka hospitals located in the newly created districts would be pursued whereas rehabilitation of infrastructure with provisions of required equipment/ furniture and construction of emergency or trauma centres at 41 taluka headquarters hospitals would be initiated or completed, the officials added.

Funds would also be allocated for fast-track work on two new medical college schemes at Karachi and Hyderabad under the ongoing projects, while a new medical college project would be initiated at Mirpurkhas.

According to the proposed district-wise summary of allocations in the health sector, allocation for 34 ongoing and 25 new schemes at Karachi is Rs4.307 billion, for six ongoing and 11 new schemes at Hyderabad is Rs863 million, for five old and one new schemes at Sukkur is Rs366 million, for nine old schemes at Larkana is Rs341 million and for 10 old and one new schemes at Saheed Benazirabad is Rs332 million.

Larkana, Shikarpur, Gambat/ Khairpur, Jacobabad and Dadu are unlikely to get any new project in the health sector in 2012-13.