KATHMANDU: Lawmakers at the meeting of the Women, Children, Senior Citizens and Social Welfare Committee under the Legislature-Parliament on Sunday demanded increase in budget for the health sector to provide quality health services to all people.

They also stressed the need to make budget expenditure effective.

Speaking at the meeting, lawmaker Shreemaya Thakali said, “Not increasing budget for the health sector shows sheer negligence towards health of the general public.”

During the meeting called to discuss implementation of the budget allocated to the health sector and prepare a plan for the next fiscal, Minister for Health and Population Khagaraj Adhikari said, “The National Planning Commission’s act of decreasing limitation of budget in a sensitive sector like sector is not good.”

He said it is reported that the government has decreased and approved a budget of Rs 35.26 billion against Rs 38 billion in the last fiscal year. It is 5.2 per cent of the total budget against last year’s 5.4 per cent.

The government is neglecting the health sector though Nepali people in remote districts lose their lives because they fail to get treatment even for minor ailments.

Lawmakers Thakali, Dr Banshidhar Mishra, Rajendra Pandey, Anuradha Thapa Magar, Dr Ganesh Gurung, and Sindhu Jalesa, among others, said Nepali women had to die due to lack of necessary treatment during pregnancy, lactation period, and many other conditions. They suggestedfree health treatment and air ambulance service to prevent deaths.