Rural areas are being linked with the basic health centers:Mujtaba Shuja

Lahore: Minister for Finance, Excise & Taxation, Mian Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman has said that 70 percent population live in rural areas which are closely linked with the basic health centers, therefore, the government is upgrading the infrastructure of basic health centers for provision of modern health facilities to the masses at grass root level. He said that by increasing the health budget up to 102 billion rupees to poor and resource less people. He said that huge amount of 7.5billon is being spent on the provision of free treatment and medicines to the poor and destitute in public sector hospitals of the province.

While talking to various delegations at his residence, Mian Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman said that increasing population affects our socio-economic conditions as 40 million people are living low poverty line. He said that 58 million people have no access to safe & clean drinking water, 59 million people are living in one room house unit, whereas, only 20 percent population have the facility of trained birth attendant. He said that government is providing billions of rupees subsidy on food items to the deserving people whereas, Rs.300 million are being spending  to provide free of cost dialysis facility to the needy kidney patients. He said that the present government is paying full attention towards provision of state-of-the-art healthcare facilities to the people at grass root level.

Mian Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman  said that common people should be taught that increase in population without resources is dangerous for our socio-economic set-up and in order to provide civic amenities to every citizen of the country we have to control the rapidly growing population, therefore, a comprehensive awareness campaign will be launched in the province. He said that increasing population is deeply decreasing our food stocks and now about 70.7 million people are facing lack of food and starvation in the world, whereas, every 6^th person in developing country is the victim of food shortage problems.         

Mian Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman told that the specific objectives of the health sector programmes launched by the provincial and federal government are to reduce the under five mortality rate to less than 45 per thousand live births by the year  2015, to reduce the newborn mortality rate to less than 40 per thousand live births target 40/1000,  to reduce maternal mortality ratio upto 140 per ten thousand live births by the year 2015 and to increase the proportion of deliveries attended by the skilled birth attendants at home or in health facilities to 90 percent by 2015,he added.