Pakistan: Punjab province fails to release COVID-19 funds to health department

Lahore (Punjab)[Pakistan], September 19 : State-run hospitals in Pakistan's Punjab province are facing a financial crunch due to the shortage of funds in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Punjab province's Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department (SH&MED) sent numerous reminders to the Punjab government, to release the funds of Pakistani Rs 2 Billion, which they had allocated for the state-run hospitals in Punjab, reported Dawn.
The health department in their fourth reminder to the Punjab government asked to release the allocated fund of Pakistani Rs 2 Billion for the emergency provision, in view of COVID-19 fourth wave in the province.
These funds were allocated in the month of July, for the COVID-19 medicines and required instruments in the state-run hospitals.
Officials from government hospitals even claimed that they were not able to pay the salaries of the doctors. They even warned of possible "mishap" due to the COVID-19 peak in the absence of funds, reported Dawn.
SH&MED in its fourth letter to the Punjab government gave reference to all the letters sent to the government earlier. These letters were sent to the Punjab Finance Secretary in order to acquire the allotted funds for the COVID-19. The letter read about the inability of the government hospitals to meet their expenses and pay salaries to the doctors. The hospitals had specifically hired doctors at lump sum packages during COVID-19.
The health department has requested the Punjab government to release at least Pakistani Rs 1 billion of the allocated Pakistani Rs 2 billion funds as part of an emergency grant to the state-run hospitals.
Meanwhile, Pakistan on Sunday has reported 2,580 fresh cases of COVID-19 and 71 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to Pakistan's National Command and Operation Centre data.
2,580 cases of COVID-19 were reported after 55,027 tests of COVID-19 were conducted throughout the country.