ISLAMABAD: The Senate Functional Committee on Devolution termed the recreation of Health and Education Ministries a mere violation of the Constitution and recommended the federal government to abolish them, as these are provinces’ subjects under the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
The committee met with Senator Dr Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur in the chair at Parliament House on Monday.
The meeting was attended by Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro, Senator Ponjol Bheel, Prime Minister’s Coordinator on National Health Services Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, Secretary Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSR&C) Nadeem Mahbub, Chairman HEC Mukhtar Ahmed, and other senior officials from relevant departments.
Secretary Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSR&C) Mahbub briefed the committee that the Ministry of Health was abolished in 2010 after the 18th Constitutional Amendment and recreated in 2013 with the ambition to create coordination between provinces and the federal government on health matters and to extend support to provinces in various immunization programmes.
He added that currently, 32 departments fall under the ambit of the NHSR&C, including PIMS, PMDC, the National Institute of Health, and the Sehat Saulat Programme.
Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro stated that NHSR&C was created on flimsy grounds as coordination could be extended through the Council of Common Interests (CCI).
Committee Chairperson Senator Zarqa Suharwardy called the recreation of NHSR&C a mere violation of the constitution and recommended that the ministry should be abolished, as health subject falls under the purview of provinces.
PM Coordinator on National Health Services Dr Bharath informed that the prime minister has tasked the ministry with its devolution, and efforts are underway in that regard.
Additionally, officials from the Ministry of Education informed the committee that the Ministry of Education was abolished and recreated in 2011 with the aim to maintain necessary standards of education and extend collaboration to provinces in this regard.
Currently, the Federal Ministry of Education regulates 432 educational institutions and 29 departments. Senator Zarqa Suharwardy maintained that despite having so many departments, the education standards in the country have not improved, and their replication is only creating a burden on the exchequer.
She recommended the devolution of the education ministry as per the guidelines of the 18th Amendment.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024