The Balochistan Awami Endowment Fund facing financial problems in providing healthcare facilities to patients as the monthly demand goes above the availabe funds, it was on Sunday.
The government provides assistance to the poor and needy patients suffering from different chronic diseases under the programme to get them treated in the best public and private sector hospitals.
“The patients applications for healthcare funds demand reach to 400 million rupees, while the available funds in a month are 40 million,” sources at provincial social department said. Due to shortage of funds in endowment programme, the boards meetings for approval of funds being held after an interval of three to four months, according to sources.
The chief minister has enhanced the seed money from four billion rupees to six billion but the order has yet to be implemented, sources said. Parliamentary Secretary for provincial social welfare department has said that the matter has been raised with the finance department. The department didn’t yet invest additional two billion rupees so far, parliamentary secretary Bushra Rind said.
“The increase in seed money will enhance additional 20 millions in funds,” the secretary added. Balochistan’s Minister for Social Welfare earlier said that the medical board of the province gave approval of 200 to 300 cases in each meeting. It should be noted that the treatment of cancer, liver and kidney transplantation is the most expensive which requires millions of rupees.—INP
