Hospitals should allocate special wards or beds for transgender persons to ensure dignified access to healthcare
DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on finance Muzammil Aslam has said that special measures will be taken in the upcoming provincial budget to support transgender persons and people with disabilities, urging all departments to work collectively for the welfare of marginalised segments of society.
He was speaking at a pre-budget session organised by Awaaz Do in collaboration with the Omar Asghar Khan Foundation.
Mr Aslam said hospitals should allocate special wards or beds for transgender persons to ensure dignified access to healthcare. He added that transgender persons and people with disabilities should be facilitated in educational institutions and encouraged to register with relevant authorities to avail government support.
The adviser said women should be empowered to move beyond quota-based participation and work alongside men in all sectors.
Highlighting fiscal figures, he said the previous budget of KP stood at Rs2,119 billion. He noted that the province had introduced a Rs10,000 Ramadan relief package in 2024 and increased it to Rs12,500 this year, adding that other provinces followed KP’s initiative last year.
Mr Aslam said the budget of the Benazir Income Support Programme had reached Rs800 billion, while the federal Public Sector Development Programme stood at Rs1,000 billion. He stressed that while supporting poor families was essential, the methodology for assistance needed improvement to ensure effective targeting.
He endorsed the recommendations presented during the session for neglected classes and directed relevant departments to submit proposals to the finance department for review and allocation of necessary resources.
The event was attended by Women Caucus Chairperson Samira Shams, former chairperson Rukhshanda Naz, PFM Adviser Waqas Paracha, Dr Yasmin Zaidi, team lead of Awaaz Do, Shabina Gulzar, provincial lead of Awaaz Do, and Rashida Doha, executive director of the Omar Asghar Khan Foundation, along with officials from various departments and representatives of civil society.
