ISLAMABAD, May 2: Federal Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan on Tuesday said his ministry had sent a bill on safe medical devices to the National Assembly for approval. He was talking to a delegation of Pakistan Medical Association. He said the health and environment ministries were jointly working for implementing the waste management strategy.

He urged the PMA to play a proactive role for implementation of waste management programme.

Mr Khan said that in addition to various programme at national level the ministry of health had increased the budget health from Rs5.1 billions to Rs10.5 billions with a view to improving the primary health care and secondary health care system.

He said the focus of the government was on preventive health care which was the most cost effective and efficient health care strategy in the world.

Under this strategy, the government has allocated Rs2.55 billion for prevention and control of hepatitis, Rs2.7 billions for control of blindness and Rs1.5 billion for eradication and control of TB, he added.

The minister underlined the need of strengthening the district and tehsil hospitals to improve the primary health care.

In order to achieve the objectives, he said that all medical graduates should complete one year period in the rural areas, he said.

Secretary of health Syed Anwar Mehmood, also present on the occasion, said Rs275 million had been allocated for handling and safe disposal of hazardous health care waste in the national programme for prevention and control of hepatitis.

Regarding the integration of the PMA in the national health policy forum, the minister of health said that the representative of PMA was already part of the forum and said that the PMA should be engaged at every level of the health policy development.

As regards, the finalisation of the career structure of the doctors and other health professionals, the secretary health said that recommendations of the workshop/report on had been sent to the provincial health department and other stakeholders for their views and comments.

The proposed structure would be finalized once all the inputs were received, he said, adding that director PMRC Dr Huma had been instructed to expedite the process and keep PMA in the loop.

Regarding the enhancement of non-practicing allowance for the doctors, the secretary said that the health ministry had recommended increase in the allowance and sent to ministry of finance for approval last year.

The secretary assured full support and cooperation for the approval of the proposal form the ministry of finance in the upcoming budget.

The meeting was attended by director general health Dr Abdul Majid Rajput, DDG Dr Hasan Orooj and other officials of the health ministry.