Pakistan’s 2025–26 Health Budget: A Mixed Picture
The federal budget for FY 2025–26 totals Rs 17,573 billion, with allocations across sectors of national importance english.aaj.tv+9geo.tv+9thenews.com.pk+9.
Overall Health Spending
- Rs 14.3 billion allocated under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for health—supporting 21 key infrastructure and disease-control projects dunyanews.tv+6geo.tv+6dailytimes.com.pk+6.
- Total health allocation (development + non-development) amounts to Rs 46.1 billion, a 16 % cut compared to last year’s Rs 54.9 billion thenews.com.pk.
- Non-development (salaries, operations): Rs 31.75 billion
- Development (infrastructure): Rs 14.34 billion thenews.com.pk+4thenews.com.pk+4brecorder.com+4.
Civil society and healthcare associations—including PIMA—have expressed concern that trimming development spending will hinder much-needed capacity expansion, like building new hospitals and upgrading disease surveillance systems thenews.com.pk+2thenews.com.pk+2thenews.com.pk+2.
Key Investments in Cancer Care
Several major initiatives focus on cancer treatment facilities:
- Rs 1.7 billion set aside to establish a Cancer Hospital in Islamabad brecorder.com+4pc.gov.pk+4dailytimes.com.pk+4dailytimes.com.pk+4geo.tv+4thenews.com.pk+4.
- An additional Rs 900 million specifically for equipment procurement at that Islamabad cancer hospital geo.tv+4dunyanews.tv+4pc.gov.pk+4.
- Under PSDP broader allocations, funding also supports specialized oncology services—e.g., pediatric oncology at PIMS—within the Rs 15.34 billion across 48 projects pc.gov.pk+2thenews.com.pk+2thenews.com.pk+2.
This marks a significant step: for the first time a purpose-built cancer hospital in the capital is budget-backed with ~Rs 2.6 billion in initial funding.
Other Health & NCD Targets
The budget also continues investments in disease control:
- Rs 1 billion for the Hepatitis C elimination programme thenews.com.pk+6geo.tv+6dunyanews.tv+6.
- Rs 800 million for diabetes prevention and control geo.tv.
- Rs 4 billion for the Jinnah Medical Complex and Research Centre in Islamabad thenews.com.pk+2geo.tv+2dunyanews.tv+2.
- Rs 900 million targeted for cardiac and critical care expansion at PIMS thenews.com.pk.
Within PSDP, broader health and digital health systems—including disease surveillance (IDSRS), pediatric oncology, maternal child services, digital governance—draw from a Rs 15.34 billion pot thenews.com.pk+3thenews.com.pk+3thenews.com.pk+3.
What It Means for Cancer Patients
Investing ~Rs 2.6 billion in the development phase of a national cancer hospital is a milestone. Pakistan registers over 178,000 new cancer cases annually, with limited public treatment infrastructure and only a few trained oncologists pc.gov.pk.
Still, analysts note that infrastructure investment alone isn’t enough. The 16 % budget cut to development lines has alarmed medical associations, warning of slowed infrastructure rollouts and increased burden on remaining facilities thenews.com.pk.
Final Takeaway
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| ✅ Focused capital for cancer infrastructure in Islamabad (~Rs 2.6 bn) | ❌ 16 % cut in total health development budget |
| ✅ Continued funding for NCDs: hepatitis C, diabetes, cardiovascular care | ❌ Non-development rises overshadow development cuts |
| ✅ Support for digital health and emergency preparedness | ❌ Risk of delayed delivery and broader health inequities |