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Published : 13 May 2026, 07:20 PM
The government will allocate 1 percent of the GDP for the health sector in the next annual budget as the sector usually receives an inadequate allocation, says Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Health Affairs SM Ziauddin Hyder.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Ziauddin said the prime minister is giving “top priority” to the health sector.
“The government is working to shape the primary healthcare system into an integrated and effective structure.”
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) organised the event to highlight the nationwide measles-rubella vaccination campaign.
In the last fiscal year, the allocation to the health sector was 0.67 percent of the GDP.
The government plans to establish a “primary healthcare unit” in every ward of all unions and cities, said Hyder.
According to him, 100,000 health workers will be recruited for this purpose in the future.
He said if a primary healthcare unit exists, every family will receive services from a health worker at least once a month.
Hyder added that health workers will go door-to-door for blood sugar and blood pressure tests, mental health assessment and counselling for pregnant women.
They will also monitor the physical development of children aged under 5, and vaccination activities.
“Every citizen will be given an electronic health card,” said the premier’s special assistant.
On the measles outbreak, Hyder said: "The measles-rubella vaccination campaign is rolled out every four years. The coverage information for the campaigns held in December 2020 and 2021 is inaccurate.
“Because the then government was terrible at manipulating data,” he said, adding that the next vaccination drive was supposed to be held in 2024, but in vain.
He referred to the measles outbreak as a “national disaster”.
DGHS chief Pravath Chandra Biswas said about 18 million children have already been vaccinated, which is nearly 100 percent of the target.
He urged parents to ensure children, who have not yet been vaccinated, and even those who have received two doses of the vaccine under the regular EPI programme, get the measles-rubella vaccine.
Pravath said they are working to increase ventilator and ICU facilities in district-level hospitals.
