Lakki marwat  -  Speakers at a dialogue on Monday urged the federal and provincial governments to increase the health and education budgets and enhance funding for the underserved regions of the country. The dialogue was organized by the community development organization with the support of the Citizens Network for Budget Accountability (CNBA) and the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) in Lakki City. Notable speakers included CDO Programme Officer Inayatullah Khan, Zafrullah Khan Advocate, Sultan Salahuddin Advocate, Ikramullah Khan, and members of civil society organizations.

Speakers emphasized the need to improve service delivery in the health sector through public-private partnerships and to prioritize improving hospital infrastructure.

“In addition, primary and secondary education should be prioritized to provide a strong educational foundation across the country,” said Inayatullah Khan.

He added that targeted investments should be promoted to ensure equitable educational access in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Steps should also be taken to ensure the availability of water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in rural schools, increase student attendance, and improve their health.

Analyzing the budget trends of the last four years, the speakers noted that gradual increase in the budget has been insufficient to meet the growing needs of the country. They highlighted the clear disparities between provinces in both the health and education sectors.

They pointed out that Pakistan faces a shortage of 589,122 hospital beds, which underscores the urgent need to expand healthcare facilities, especially in resource-poor areas like Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where per capita health expenditure is alarmingly low.

“The bulk of the federal allocations in the education sector goes to higher education, leaving primary and secondary education with fewer resources,” said Zafrullah Khan, noting that Sindh’s education budget has emerged as a model of balanced distribution, ensuring equal funding for primary, secondary, and higher education.

He revealed that Punjab’s budget appears to be mostly allocated to higher education, with only 7 percent allocated to primary education.

He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa allocated 73 percent of its budget to higher education, while Balochistan focused significantly on primary and secondary education in its education budget to meet basic educational needs.

Speakers stressed the importance of increasing the health budget and prioritizing hospital infrastructure. They argued that, to reduce healthcare inequalities, funding should be targeted to under-resourced areas, and a strategy of greater emphasis on public-private partnerships and preventive healthcare should be adopted.

They concluded that primary and secondary education should be prioritized for a strong educational foundation, with a focus on achieving sustainable development goals, particularly in providing standard healthcare and access to quality education.