LAHORE: The Punjab government has allocated Rs 71.069 billion for the health department in the budget pertaining to the year 2016-17 There has been an increase of Rs 16 billion from the last budget out of which Rs 39.624 billion have been fixed for staff salaries and Rs 31.445 billion for other expenditure. According to the budget statement, Rs 14.665 billion have been allocated for specialised health care and medical education while Rs 776.258 million have been set aside for prevention/control of epidemics. Also, Rs 1.5 billion has been allocated for health insurance programme. Similarly, Rs 63.985 billion have been allocated for central hospital services, Rs 13.755 million have been fixed for blood transfusion authority while Rs 25 million have been allocated for University of Health Sciences. Rs 1 billion will be spent for provision of free medicines to the district health officer and tehsil headquarter hospital. Also, Rs 3.952 billion have been allocated for Lahore General Hospital, Rs 4.839 billion for Jinnah Hospital, Rs 2.446 billion for the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Rs 2.277 billion for Ganga Ram Hospital, Rs3.282 billion for Services Hospital, Rs 794.251 million for mental hospital, Rs 2.504 billion for Shaikh Zayed Postgraduate Medical Institute, Rs 643.9 million fixed for Yakki Gate Nawaz Sharief Hospital, Rs 572 million have been allocated for Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital, Rs 509 million will be spent for Shahdra Hospital, Rs 518 million fixed for Wazirabad Institute of Cardiology and Rs 393 million have been allocated for government Said Mitha Hospital Similarly, Rs 575 million have been fixed for Punjab Health Care Commission, Rs 75 million fixed for policy and strategic planning unit, Rs 98 million fixed for school nursing at Mayo Hospital, Rs 4.049 billion have been allocated for Mayo Hospital, Rs 572 million fixed for Lady Willingdon Hospital, Rs 327 million will spent for Lady Aitchison Hospital, Rs 149 million fixed for Punjab Institute of preventive Ophthalmology, Rs 958 million fixed for King Edward Medical University.