In a bid to bolster India’s response to combating the virus, the government today announced investments to the tune of Rs 15,000 crores for ‘India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package’.
Of the total sanctioned sum Rs 7,774 crores will be utilized for immediate Covid-19 Emergency Response while the rest will be provided over a 1-4 years period under mission mode approach.
In a statement, the government said that the key objectives of the package include mounting emergency response to slow and limit Covid-19 in India through the development of diagnostics and Covid-19 dedicated treatment facilities, centralized procurement of essential medical equipment and drugs required for treatment of infected patients. The package will also be targeted to strengthen and build resilient National and State health systems to support prevention and preparedness for future disease outbreaks, setting up of laboratories and bolster surveillance activities, bio-security preparedness, pandemic research and proactively engage communities and conduct risk communication activities. These interventions and initiatives would be implemented under the overall umbrella of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
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In his address to the nation on March 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had underlined that the Central government has provisioned Rs 15,000 crores for treating Coronavirus patients and strengthening the medical infrastructure of the country. “This will allow for rapidly ramping up the number of Corona testing facilities, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Isolation Beds, ICU beds, ventilators and other essential equipment. Simultaneously, training of medical and paramedical manpower will also be undertaken. I have requested the State Governments to ensure that only healthcare is treated as their first and topmost priority now,” the PM had said.
A major share of the expenditure will be used for mounting robust emergency response, strengthening National and State health systems followed by strengthening pandemic research and multi-sector national institutions and platforms for One Health, community engagement and risk communication and implementation, management, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation component.
M/o Health & Family Welfare is authorized to re-appropriate resources among components of the package and among the various implementation agencies (National Health Mission, Central Procurement, Railways, Dept of Health Research/ICMR, National Centre for Disease Control) as per the evolving emergent situation.
As on date, a total of 223 labs comprising a network of 157 government & 66 private laboratories are conducting rigorous screening process. Furthermore, MoHFW has already disbursed Rs. 4113 Crore to all the States and UTs for dealing with the emergency COVID response.