No curtailment was made in the budget of medicines:Spokesman

Lahore: A spokesman of Health Department Punjab has said that Punjab government is increasing budget every year for providing free medicines to the patients in government hospitals. He said that more than Rs.5.78 billion have been allocated for providing free medicines to the patients in indoor and emergency wards in government hospitals during current year and no cut was made in it.

The spokesman while strongly contradicting the rumours being spread about the curtailment of funds allocated for provision of free medicines in government hospitals or spending these funds on any other projects said that there is no truth in these rumours and these funds are totally intact. The spokesman further said that on the instructions of Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Punjab government is increasing budget every year for providing free medicines to the patients in government hospitals. He told that government had allocated Rs.4.159 billion in the budget of 2009-10, Rs.4.221 billion in 2010-11, Rs.4.607 billion in 2011-12 whereas Rs.5.785 billion have been allocated in 2012-13 for this purpose.

The spokesman said that on the special instructions of Chief Minister Punjab, Rs.50 crore have been provided to the DHQs and THQs hospitals for providing medical facilities in gyne wards, free normal delivery in labour rooms of these hospitals, free operation (C.Section) and free medicines in children wards. He said that technical evaluation of tenders for purchase of medicines is being made and the purchase orders for medicines will be issued next month.