LAHORE - Provincial Minister for Finance Mujtaba Shujjaur Rehman has said that Rs4 billion have been allocated for health insurance scheme which will be launched in the province soon.
Initially this scheme, he said, is being set up in four remote districts but later on this will be spread to whole the province. The minister said an amount of Rs7.5 billon is being spent on the provision of free treatment and medicines to the poor in hospitals.
Mujtaba said the Punjab government has provided 19 per cent additional budget, amounting Rs102 billion, for the provision of health services to the poor people in Punjab. He said Rs2 billion have been allocated for the mother and child care and a Reproductive Newborn Nutrition Programme is being launched in all districts.  Mujtaba informed the delegations the government will ensure supply of medicines to the people and the relevant laws will be strictly implemented. He said three drug testing laborites are being established at Multan, Rawalpindi and Lahore besides two food testing laborites at Faisalabad and Rawalpindi and the government has issued Rs15 crore for this purpose.