PESHAWAR: In its annual budget for 2022-23, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has earmarked Rs55 billion for the health sector.

KP 2022-2023 Budget 

Taimur Jhagra, Minister for Finance, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, presented a provincial budget of Rs47 billion for the fiscal year 2022-23.

Jhagra stated that the KP Civil Servant Act of 1973 has been amended to raise contributory and provident funds for newly recruited personnel under a contributory pension system that provides either a one-time lump sum payment or a long-term investment offer to retired employees. 

In 2022-23, the services of 63,000 employees, including 675 ad-hoc doctors, will be regularized, along with the regularization of 58,0000 teachers and 4,079 employees of 128 projects in the former FATA.

OPD services under the Sehat Card Plus program will soon be launched in all government hospitals, and patients will be eligible for free treatment of up to Rs10 million, he said, adding that Rs25 billion have been allocated for the Sehat Plus Card, through which 8 lakh patients will be aided in 2021-22.

Following the inclusion of liver transplants, he stated that Rs2.5 billion would be budgeted to include coverage for five other chronic conditions, including bone marrow transplant, sclerosis, cochlear implants, thalassemia, and advanced cancer. 
He stated that MTIs, associated, and medical hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would receive Rs53,6 billion.

In addition to the establishment of four new MTIs at Fountains House Peshawar, Kohat Institute of Medical and Dental Sciences, DHQ Charsadda and Women Children Hospital and DHQ Haripur, four new medical colleges will be created in Dir, Buner, Charsadda, and Haripur.

Rs47 billion designated for primary and secondary education

Three billion rupees were allotted for the improvement of secondary care and service delivery, and the rehabilitation of 32 hospitals was completed.

In addition to allocating Rs2.7 billion to 58 hospitals in 24 districts for secondary care hospitals under Public-Private Partnership, he stated that 3000 additional beds would be established, and that the primary care revamping program, which was allocated Rs2.125 billion, was producing excellent results.

The minister stated that the renovation of 700 BHUs and RHCs costing Rs82,4 billion has begun, while 500 facilities have been renovated. 

He stated that two billion rupees were provided to enhance 15 BHUs and RHCs in 15 districts in order to provide better services to the public.

He stated that Rs10 billion would be spent on providing free medicines to the public, in addition to allocating Rs500 million for LHS and LHWs and recruiting 3,500 additional LHWs, as well as allocating Rs1 billion for eradication of polio in Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan and Rs1.3 billion for the launch of a maternal ambulance service.

He announced that primary and secondary school students are exempt from paying fees for a library, archives, and dormitories.

According to him, the PFM (Public Financial Management) bill is being implemented under Article 119 of the Constitution in order to increase financial system transparency. 

Under the Insaf Food Cards Programme, targeted subsidies of Rs26 billion would be distributed to one million Khyber Pakhtunkhwa families.