New Provinces Will Solve Karachi’s Issues: Mustafa Kamal
ISLAMABAD: Mustafa Kamal, the Federal Minister for Health, has emphasized that administrative restructuring and establishment of new provinces are necessary to solve the old issues of Karachi by pointing out to governance system in other regions.
At a function of the industry, Mustafa Kamal said India had expanded its provincial structure from 9 to 38 provinces while Pakistan was stagnant with just four provinces, adding that decentralised governance is fundamental for urban governance. In an interview with The News International, Kamal said that his tenure as mayor had brought a game change to the city and the move of spending Rs 300 billion on the development had made Karachi a better place to live in at that time.
Involving concerns of urban governance and healthcare initiatives.Incorporating healthcare and urban governance concerns.
The Federal Minister said there was collusion among property developers in the city, adding that if the city’s property registers were open to the international market, they would be able to find out more about the hidden assets. He also expressed regret over the recent tragic incidents in Karachi like children’s death on account of stray dog bite and open manholes.
On health sector reforms, Kamal gave updates on national health coverage plans, announcing plans to roll out universal health coverage based on the National Identity Card throughout the country at the cost of Rs 210 billion, noting that the total national health expenditure currently is Rs 1156 billion. In the political arena, he noted that today it is possible to freely move in politics and express demands for new provinces, whereas previously these demands were linked to an external agenda.