Provincial Minister for Excise & Taxation Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman has 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 women representation has been made compulsory in all government institutions, autonomous boards, development and research centers and 25 thousand women have got right of representation under the law. 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). He said that government has provided Rs.166.13 billion for the provison of standardized healthcare facilities to the masses in the province.
Talking to various delegations at his residence, Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman 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.
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.2.50 billion. He said that government has created 3000 new posts of nurses and Rs. 1.43 billion had been allocated for this purpose. Provincial government has given highest priority to health & education and the provincial health budget has been enhanced whereas, additional resources have been provided to accelerate the efforts for prompt achievement of MDGs. He said that the serving to ailing humanity is a noble job, therefore, the nurses are performing their duties as a sacred mission.
Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said nurses and paramedical staff have a vital role in providing basic health facilities to the people at grass root level. He said that the government was committed to upgrade the nursing services and sensitize the problems being faced by this most vital sector of healthcare system as the government was feeling that this sector was neglected section in past therefore, steps would be taken to boost the nursing cadre and upgrade the socio-economic condition of the people concerned besides to improve the working skill of nurses. He 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, it concluded.
