KATHMANDU: Minister of Health and Population Upendra Yadav blames budget crunch for problems seen in Nepal’s health sector.
Though the Health Ministry complains about lack of fund for its lackadaisical performance, it couldn’t spend 23% of the budgetary allocation made to the health sector in the fiscal year 2075/76 BS. The progress report published by the Ministry of Health and Population reveals that only 77% of the health budget has been spent last year.
The Ministry of Health has spent meager 26% of the budgetary allocation for integrated child health and nutrition and left huge 74% of the total allocation simply spent
There are at least 46 projects and programs under the Ministry of Health and its various departments, which did not receive adequate funding and hence were short of full spending.
Expenditure was less than half of the allocated fund for many agencies
The ‘Integrated Child Health and Nutrition’ has seen the lowest expenditure out of the allocated budgetary fund to different agencies and departments working under the Ministry of Health and Population.
The Ministry of Health has spent meager 26% of the budgetary allocation for integrated child health and nutrition and left huge 74% of the total allocation simply spent. There is another program called ‘Integrated Women Health and Reproductive Health’ in which only 34% of the allotted budgetary fund has been spent leaving the rest of the 66% budget unspent.
The National Health Education Program is next one which received less than half of its due funding allocated through the federal budget in the fiscal year 2075/76 BS. It is so depressing to know that only 30% of the allocated budget has been spent on the national health education program and a huge amount to the extent of 70% has been frozen.
In a similar vein, department of medicine and medical equipment supply and Ayurveda department have gone below the mark of half of the expected spending of the budget allocated in the year 2075/76 BS. Department of Ayurveda has spent only 42% of the allocated budget while the department of medicine and medical equipment supply has managed to spend only 45% of the allocated fund.
Only 15 programs (out of 46) of public health saw full budgetary spending
As many as 31 programs, agencies, hospitals, centers, branches and departments functioning under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and Population couldn’t make full use of the budget allocated to them.
However, there are some like Health Research Centre, Karnali Academy Health Sciences, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, National Academy of Medical Sciences, Beer Hospital, Kanti Child Hospital, Paropkar Maternity and Gynecological Centre which have fully utilized the allocated fund to them and has spent entire budgetary money.
In the same way, Nepal Eye Hospital, BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital, Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Centre, Shahid Gangalal Heart Centre, BP Koirala Academy of Health Sciences, Teaching Hospital (Tribhuvan University) and Suresh Wagle Memorial Cancer Hospital have also all the allocated budgetary money to them.
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