KARACHI:Sindh Social Scientists Forum (SSSF), a social think tank, on Monday asked the federal and provincial governments to keep at least 10% of federal budget and 20% of provincial budgets respectively on improvement of health, education and social sector. In a statement issued here Monday, SSSF stated that due to the COVID-19 situation, health system of the federal and provincial level was in great stress. Coronavirus situation is now reaching its peak and our hospitals are out of sources to handle emergency situation.
This situation will continue for long time. The SSSF believed that this current budget for the year 2020-2021 should be dedicated to the social sector. The governments must give priority to health, education and social sector to serve the people in honest way.
There is strong need of new hospitals, improvement of situation of hospitals, provision of PPEs, enhancement of bed capacity, development of proper referral system is need of the hour, it said. SSSF said: “Health sector at provincial level is facing scarcity of doctors, nurses and other professional staff. The government should keep funding in budget for hiring of staff.
In education sector, provincial governments keep budget for commencing online classes, hiring teachers, Providing technical education through free online system.” In social sector, provincial governments should keep budget for easy loan for young people to start small businesses, support poorest of the poor people whose children are enrolled in schools, social mobilization of communities at union council levels for health and hygiene issues. Every school in rural and semi urban areas needed water and proper sanitation system, so the government must address it in forthcoming budget.
It said that provincial governments should enhance budgets of the local governments to address the food and health crisis in rural and urban areas. SSSF believed that a strong powerful local government system could easily face the COVID-19 and other related situation. Unfortunately, provincial governments are not serious in addressing issues of the local governments.
The SSSF stressed the need for cooperation between the federal and provincial governments to work together to fight the deadly COVID-19. SSSF said that the federal government must share grants with provinces, which were received from foreign donors. It said that the federal and provincial governments must give priority to current emergency rather than wasting time on non-issues.
Unfortunately, the government has failed to give any concrete plan of action of COVID-19 during recently held National Assembly session. A never ending fight between the government and opposition wasted time of the nation.
The SSSF hoped that federal and provincial governments will seriously debate budgets and give priority to health, education and social services. SSSF appealed that the government must keep in mind corona emergency while unfolding budget priorities.