ISLAMABAD: The government has allocated Rs53.3 billion for different health projects, including Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), in the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2026-27.
Of the Rs22 billion earmarked for the Ministry of National Health Services, Rs20.7 billion will be financed through local resources, while Rs1.3 billion will be received from foreign assistance.
As per PSDP, the government has proposed an overall allocation of Rs24.3 billion for the health and nutrition sector. The allocation marks a notable increase compared to the previous fiscal year, when the health sector was initially allocated Rs16.5 billion and later revised downwards to Rs14 billion.
The health sector’s share in the overall social sector development budget stands at 2.2 per cent of the total Rs187.2 billion social sector allocation for the FY 2026-27.
Of Rs22bn earmarked for health ministry, Rs1.3bn will be received from foreign assistance, according to budget documents
Major health projects
Among the key projects included in the budget is funding for cardiovascular research and disease prevention. The government has proposed Rs1.5 billion for a project at the National Institute of Heart Diseases (NIHD) Rawalpindi to support research and preventive measures.
In addition, Rs1 billion has been earmarked for the expansion and upgradation of the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) and NIHD, aimed at enhancing specialised cardiac care facilities.
The budget also includes funding for the initial phase of a major healthcare infrastructure initiative. The National University of Medical Sciences (Nums) has been allocated funds for acquiring land from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for the establishment of a proposed medical city in Islamabad.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has expressed concerns over the deteriorating state of national health security, declaring that a combination of misplaced budgetary priorities and rampant economic inflation had plunged the country into a full-blown public health emergency.
“PMA notes with grave concern that while the federal government’s newly announced Rs53.3 billion allocation for the Ministry of National Health Services for the 2026–27 fiscal year continues to favour visible infrastructure projects, it critically underfunds the essential mechanisms needed to fight a silent, nationwide maternal and child nutrition crisis.
“The reality on the ground remains catastrophic for the average citizen, validating the medical fraternity’s long-standing warning that Pakistan’s healthcare infrastructure is entering a state of systemic collapse due to structural neglect,” PMA Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro said.
“The federal budget reveals a profound neglect of core national responsibilities such as One Health Workforce Development program receives a negligible Rs99.9 million leaving the country highly vulnerable to active threats like Mpox, measles, dengue and polio. The Common Management Unit for TB, HIV/AIDS and malaria receives only Rs500 million despite Pakistan carrying one of the world’s heaviest tuberculosis burdens and an expanding hepatitis C epidemic affecting an estimated 10 million people. The Drug Control Section is severely constrained with an allocation of just Rs144 million,” he said.
“Furthermore, ongoing federal health schemes carry throw-forward liabilities exceeding Rs121 billion, legally tying the hands of future policymakers and locking public capital into brick-and-mortar projects for years to come. We are witnessing a double-pronged tragedy. On one hand, inflation is stripping families of the ability to afford basic milk, meat and vegetables and on the other the federal government is spending 70 percent of its healthcare resources on brick-and-mortar operations and specialised tertiary care, virtually abandoning prevention, disease surveillance and nutrition defence,” he added.
Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2026
