Govt to borrow ₹13,879 cr. to strengthen health infra from international agencies

The Indian government has signed loan agreements to borrow up to ₹13,879 crore to strengthen health infrastructure from international agencies.

As per a written reply in Lok Sabha by Minster of State for Health, Dr. Bharti Pawar, as on February 6, 2023, loan agreements have been signed with Asian Development Bank (ADB) for $300 million (₹2,474 crore) and with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for 50 billion Japanese Yen (₹3,162 crore). In addition, the World Bank has approved $1 billion (₹8,243 crore) IBRD loans for Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM). IBRD is the lending arm of the World Bank.

The loan agreements have been signed to augment PM-ABHIM which was launched on October 25, 2021, with an outlay of about ₹64,180 crore (till FY 2025-26) to strengthen healthcare infrastructure across the country.

While the government provides financial assistance to States and Union Territories to set up and upgrade health infrastructure under National Health Mission (NHM) to ensure quality healthcare services, PM-ABHIM was launched in addition to NHM.

This is to increase investment in health infrastructure and fill gaps in public health infrastructure, especially in critical care and primary care facilities in both the urban and rural areas.

The major initiatives planned under ABHIM include support for construction of 17,788 rural Health and Wellness Centres, establishment of 11,024 Urban Health and Wellness Centres, setting up 3,382 Block Public Health Units and setting up of Integrated Public Health Labs in all districts.

Further it will help establishing 602 critical care hospital blocks, critical care hospital blocks in 12 central hospitals to strengthen National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), five new regional NCDCs, 10 Biosafety Levels (BSL) - III and one BSL-IV and 20 Metropolitan Surveillance Units (MSUs), the reply stated.