"Insufficient budget has affected several ongoing programs operating under our ministry," said Vidyadhar Mallik, minister for health and population, adding, "We have asked Ministry of Finance (MoF) to release additional amount immediately." Minister Mallik said that he will personally talk to finance minister about the problems faced by the ministry and other offices. [break]
Minister Mallik concedes several hospitals and health intuitions under the ministry have been asking ministry to release additional amount immediately to run the daily administrative works.
Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital (STIDH), Teku complained that it is even struggling to feed the patients admitted in the hospital. The government hospitals across the country provide free meals to patients. The hospital said that employees working in the hospital have not gotten salary since the last four months.
"Due to budget crunch, we have not been able to run the free valve programs targeted at heart patients under the age of 15 and the elderly people over 70." The MoHP provides free valve to patients through Shahid Gangalal National Heart Center (SGNHC) and Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center (MCVTC).
Minister Mallik also said that the recently launched free dialysis program to renal patients have been affected by the budget crunch. The dialysis centers have submitted bills of over 70 millions, but the ministry is unable to pay the bill. Officials at the ministry said that dialysis centers have warned that they would halt the service if they do not get amount as pledged by the ministry.
Mallik, who is also the Minister for Local Development (MoLD), said that even the allowances for disabled and elderly people have not been disbursed since months. The government provides allowances to single women over 60, elderly people above 75 and physically impaired people.
Likewise, the Primary Health Revitalization Division (PHRD) under Department of Health Services (DoHS) said that due to budget crunch, the office is unable to supply medicines to the health centers. The MoHP provides 40 types of essential medicines free of cost through district hospitals, 32 from Primary Health Care Center, 22 from health posts and subhealth. The PHRD procures and supplies such medicines.
The PHRD also said that it has not been able to compensate the health centers and hospitals the ticket costs. After the government made the primary health free to all, the PHRD has been compensating the ticket costs to health centers.
Moreover, the PHRD said that hospitals and health centers, which have been providing free delivery service, have been struggling to run the ´Safe motherhood program." The health centers provide allowances to women, who come to health centers for safe delivery. "The health centers of mountain regions provide Rs 1,500 as allowances. Women in the hill districts get Rs 1,000 as allowances and those of the Tarai region get Rs 700 as travel fares for arriving at health institutions for safe delivery service. The Government has declared free delivery service to all to reduce existing maternal mortality rate to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) as pledged to the international community.
Meanwhile, Secretary of Health Dr Pravin Mishra said that problems will be sorted out within a few days, as the ministry has demanded additional Rs 1.5 billion with MoF.
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