The agreement for the loan has been signed between Auguste Tano Kouamé, country director, India, World Bank, and Rajat Kumar Mishra, additional secretary, Department of Economic Affairs.
New Delhi: The government of India and the World Bank on Friday signed two complementary loans of $500 million each to support and boost the country’s public healthcare system. The World Bank, through this combined financing of $1 billion, will be supporting India’s flagship Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), which is one of the largest pan-India health schemes for strengthening healthcare infrastructure.
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The agreement for the loan has been signed between Auguste Tano Kouamé, country director, India, World Bank, and Rajat Kumar Mishra, additional secretary, Department of Economic Affairs.
One of the two loans will prioritise health service delivery in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh, apart from national level interventions.
“The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore the urgent need for pandemic preparedness and health system strengthening around the world and was a stark reminder that pandemic preparedness is a global public good,” said Auguste Tano Kouamé. “The two projects are supporting India’s decision to increase the resilience and preparedness of the country’s health systems against future pandemics. This will be of great benefit for the populations of the states participating in the projects and will generate positive spillovers for other states,” he added.
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One of the two loans will prioritise health service delivery in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh, apart from national level interventions.
“The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore the urgent need for pandemic preparedness and health system strengthening around the world and was a stark reminder that pandemic preparedness is a global public good,” said Auguste Tano Kouamé. “The two projects are supporting India’s decision to increase the resilience and preparedness of the country’s health systems against future pandemics. This will be of great benefit for the populations of the states participating in the projects and will generate positive spillovers for other states,” he added.
The other programme, Enhanced Health Service Delivery Program (EHSDP), which covers the rest of $500 million, will support government’s efforts to strengthen service delivery through a redesigned primary health care model, which includes improved household access to primary healthcare facilities, stronger links between each household and its primary care facility through regular household visits and risk assessment of noncommunicable diseases.
