KARACHI, June 11: The Sindh government has allocated Rs11 billion for 156 new and old schemes, including 15 relating to preventive programmes, of the health sector in its annual development programme for the financial year 2012-13.

The allocation for the 2012-13 health sector ADP is significantly higher (58.73 per cent) than the allocation of Rs6.930 billion in the outgoing fiscal year 2011-12.

According to budget documents, 59 new schemes including 51 related to teaching and other hospitals would be initiated in the coming financial year. About Rs3.525 billion has been allocated for new schemes, while Rs7.474 billion is earmarked for ongoing projects, out of which 38 schemes are likely to be completed in next one year.

The government allocated Rs1.814 billion for 11 old and four new projects under the preventive programme sub-sector. The new schemes on the preventive side included the control and prevention of cancer diseases programme in Sindh and the government intends to spend Rs40 million on it in the first year. The total estimated cost of the cancer prevention programme is Rs164 million for three years.

Diabetic control, prevention and control of breast cancer diseases and rescue ambulatory services are three other new project on the preventive side for which government has allocated Rs60 million.

In the case of old preventive side schemes, Rs1 billion would be spent under the chief minister’s initiative for hepatitis prevention and control programme, while Rs80 million as operational support for expanded programme on immunization, Rs105 million each for the provincial tuberculosis programme and extension of the malaria control programme for rollback malaria initiative, Sindh.

Another Rs25 million would be spent on improvement and strengthening of the district health information system in Sindh and Rs30 million on establishment of a health system reforms unit in Sindh, while Rs20 million each for strengthening of Thalassaemia control activities and control and prevention of infectious diseases in Sindh programmes during the new fiscal year.

The government has also allocated Rs245 million for the ongoing enhanced HIV/Aids control programme in Sindh. It would also provide about Rs50 million as counterpart funds in regard to the strengthening and improvement of the children hospital at North Karachi by addition of 150 beds.

According to the budget documents, the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) would get about Rs173 million for the construction of a general kitchen, modernisation of electrification distribution networks and expansion and improvement of the oncology department and upgrade of the neurology department, surgical ICU and establishment of colorectal unit in the surgical unit V during the new financial year.

An amount of Rs19 million has also been allocated for the establishment of a jail ward at the CHK and Rs568 million for provision of positron emission tomography scan machine with cyclotron at the CHK.

The Chandka Medical College Hospital, Larkana, may get Rs220 million against four ongoing projects including the establishment of the Madam Faryal Talpur cardiac surgery complex, construction of the neuro-science complex, up-gradation of the surgery department and establishment of the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto skin diseases complex.

Under the new schemes, the CHK may get another Rs60 million for renovation and modernisation of stone heritage buildings of various medical units, improvement of pavement, seating and external electrifications and provision of security and surveillance system. The CHK would get another Rs50 million during the next fiscal year for purchase of equipment for physiotherapy department and orthopedic operation theatres.

An amount of Rs100 million has been allocated for the establishment of hospital waste management system at all teaching hospitals of Sindh, Rs40 million towards establishment of autism centre at Karachi, Rs320 million for provision of catheterization (cath) laboratory equipment at the Sindh Government Qatar Hospital, Liaquat Medical College Hospital, the CHK, Ghulam Mohammad Mehar Medical College Hospital, Sindh Government Hospital Korangi and Sindh Government Hospital Liaquatabad.

The National Institute of Child Health, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, which were devolved to the Sindh government last year, may get Rs 30 million each for strengthening and improvement of facilities.

The ADP allocations also included funding under the new projects for establishment of a cardiology hospital, paediatrics hospital and kidney centre, an accident and emergency trauma centre at Hyderabad, the paediatrics institute of heart diseases at Karachi, health care centre for non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular diseases, urological diseases, cancer diseases, hypertension diseases, diabetic diseases, mental diseases and blood disorder diseases at Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur.

Among the new projects, a medical college would be established at Mirpurkhas.

The government has also allocated a sum of about Rs20 million for strengthening of the safe blood transfusion reforms Sindh, Rs50 million for establishment of nursing training institute at the Karachi Institute of Heart Disease. Another Rs40 million has been allocated for the nutrition support programme in Sindh.