A delegation of family physicians calls on provincial minister for finance

Lahore: Provincial Minister for Excise & Taxation and Finance, Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehmanhas said that government is using all available resources for providing better healthcare facilities to the people especially mother & child in the province and the priority areas of the targets are rural folk. He said that an amount of Rs.121.80 billion will be utilized on the provision of health facilities which is 11.66 percent of the total budget. He said that skilled birth attendants, LHVs and LHWs are being appointed at health centers because the MMR in LHWs covered area is 147/100,000 live births, compared 300 to 350/100,000 to uncovered areas, therefore, the LHWs, LHVs. He said that at present under five mortality rate present is 94/1000 and it will be reduced 45 till 2015(MDGs Target), new born mortality rate is 54/1000 and it would be reduced upto 25 by year 2015, whereas, infant mortality rate is 77/1000 which would be reduced 40 uptill 2015. He told that maternal mortality ratio 350-500/100000 which would be reduced 140 uptill 2015. He told that 20 percent birth deliveries are attended by skilled birth attendant and this ratio would be increased more than 90 percent by 2015 whereas, contraceptive prevalence rate is 36 percent that would be increased upto 55 percent by 2015(MDGs Target).

While talking to a delegation of family physicians, LHWs and Women at his resident,Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman said that the government considers the dignity of the prestigious medical profession and will redress all the major problems being faced by the medical community including paramedics. He said that focus of the Provincial Government is upon Primary and Protective Health Care so that to achieve the millennium Development Goals (MDGs). He said that Health Insurance Cards Scheme is being launched with a cost of Rs.4 billion. Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said that such programmes would be launched in which vocational and practical training will be provided to women folk and opportunities of maximum employment would also be provided to them so that they could play their proactive role in socio-economic uplift of the country as well as their status. He told that discussions, workshops and seminars at district and tehsil level would be organized so that women folk in remote areas could be aware of their rights as well as their role in socio-economic development.