The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday signed a $300 million loan to strengthen and improve access to comprehensive primary health care in urban areas of 13 states that will benefit over 256 million urban dwellers including 51 million from slum areas.
Mr. Rajat
Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs in the
Ministry of Finance, signed for the Government of India the agreement for
Strengthening Comprehensive Primary Health Care and pandemic preparedness in
Urban Areas Program while Mr. Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB’s India
Resident Mission, signed for ADB.
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After signing
the loan agreement, Mr Mishra said that the programme supports the Government
of India’s key health initiatives - Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres
(AB-HWC) and Pradhan Mantri Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana (PM-ASBY) - which
has been renamed as Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure
Mission (PM-ABHIM) - by expanding availability and access to quality primary
health care services particularly for vulnerable populations in urban
areas.
Ayushman
Bharat programme, launched in 2018, aims to improve access to comprehensive
primary health care as a key strategy to achieve universal health coverage in
India. With the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic that put
additional pressure on the country’s health system, the government launched
PM-ASBY later renamed as PM-ABHIM in October 2021 to adopt a long-term approach
to system strengthening to prepare for future pandemics and other
emergencies.
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“Ensuring
equitable access to non-COVID-19 primary health care is critical amid
challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic to India’s health system,” said
Mr. Konishi. “The programme complements the government’s efforts to bridge the
health care gaps by strengthening institutional capacity, operation, and
management of urban health and wellness centers at the central, state, and municipal
levels.”
The programme
will be implemented in urban areas across 13 states: Andhra Pradesh, Assam,
Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and West Bengal. Beside the pandemic
response, interventions through the program promote increased utilization of
urban HWCs with provision of comprehensive primary health care packages
including noncommunicable diseases and community outreach services such as
awareness raising activities on health care options, particularly for women.
Delivery and health information systems for primary health care will be
upgraded through digital tools, quality assurance mechanisms, and engagement
and partnership with the private sector.
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The programme is supported by a $2 million technical assistance grant from ADB’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction to provide support for programme implementation and coordination, capacity building, innovation, knowledge sharing and application of scalable best practices across the healthcare system.