World Bank Commits $1 billion to India for Public Healthcare Infra

World Bank Commits $1 billion to India for Public Healthcare Infra: The Indian government has entered into a partnership with the World Bank to strengthen the nation’s healthcare sector through two loans of $500 million each. The total financing of $1 billion will provide support to the Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), which was initiated in October 2021. This flagship mission aims to enhance the public healthcare system of the country. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will provide both loans, which will have a final maturity of 18.5 years, including a grace period of 5 years.

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World Bank Commits $1 billion to India for Public Healthcare Infra | Highlights

• The World Bank and the Indian Centre have signed two loans of $500 million each to support the health sector development of India.
• The World Bank will provide the joint financing of $1 billion to the Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), launched in October 2021, to improve public healthcare infrastructure in the country.
• The loans are from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and have a final maturity of 18.5 years, including a grace period of 5 years.

Service in 7 States:

• The World Bank will focus on healthcare service delivery in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh as part of one of the loans.
• Both projects aim to support India in enhancing the resilience and preparedness of its health systems to face future pandemics.
• The states participating in the projects will benefit greatly, and this will have positive spillover effects on other states as well.

Life Expectancy:

• The World Bank has reported that India’s life expectancy has risen from 58 in 1990 to 69.8 in 2020, surpassing the average for countries with similar income levels.
• Moreover, the country’s under-five mortality rate (36 per 1,000 live births), infant mortality rate (30 per 1,000 live births), and maternal mortality ratio (103 per 100,000 live births) are comparable to the average for countries with similar income levels.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of strengthening and reforming public health systems, and improving the quality and coverage of healthcare services.

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Two Programmes:

• The Public Health System for Pandemic Preparedness Programme:
  • The initiative with a budget of $500 million will support the government’s efforts to strengthen the country’s surveillance system.
  • The goal is to enable the system to accurately detect and report potential international epidemics and rapidly respond to outbreaks.
  • The initiative will also focus on preventing the emergence of pathogens, including zoonotic diseases.
• The Enhanced Health Service Delivery Programme: 
  • A program with a budget of $500 million will support the government’s efforts to enhance access to primary healthcare facilities by restructuring the primary healthcare model.
  • The program will improve the quality of care by supporting the certification of National Quality Assurance Standards for health and wellness centers.
  • It will strengthen the implementation capacity, performance measurement, and knowledge exchange among states, thereby transforming health sector governance and accountability.

Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission

The ‘Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana’ (PMASBY) scheme was renamed to ‘PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission‘ (PM-ABHIM) on February 1st, 2021. The renaming will be effective for a duration of six years, until FY 2025-2026. The scheme’s measures concentrate on improving the capacity of healthcare systems and institutions across all levels, such as primary, secondary, and tertiary care. The initiative also aims to prepare the healthcare systems to respond effectively to current and future pandemics/ disasters.

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