World Bank Commits $1 Billion to India for Public Healthcare Infra : Daily Current Affairs

Date: 06/03/2023

Relevance: GS-2: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests, India and its neighborhood- relations.

Key Phrases: World Bank, Healthcare, PM-ABHIM, IBRD, Pandemics, Life Expectancy, Mortality Rate, Zoonotic Diseases, Wellness.

Context:

The Centre and the World Bank have signed two complementary loans of $500 million each to support and enhance the country’s health sector development.

Key Highlights:

The World Bank will assist India's flagship Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) through a joint financing of $1 billion.
Launched in October 2021, the Ayushman Bharat mission aims to enhance public healthcare infrastructure throughout the nation.
The two loans originate from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and have a final maturity of 18.5 years, which includes a grace period of 5 years.

Service in 7 States:

The World Bank stated that, in addition to national-level initiatives, one of the loans would prioritize healthcare service delivery in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.
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.

Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission

On February 1st, 2021, the 'Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana' (PMASBY) scheme was renamed to the 'PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission' (PM-ABHIM) for a duration of six years, until FY 2025-2026).
The measures under the scheme focus on developing capacities of health systems and institutions across the continuum of care at all levels viz. primary, secondary and tertiary and on preparing health systems in responding effectively to the current and future pandemics/disasters.
The components of the PM-ABHIM scheme are:
- Centrally Sponsored Components:
  1. Support for 17,788 rural Health and Wellness Centres in 10 High Focus States.
  2. Establishing 11,024 urban Health and Wellness Centres in all the States.
  3. 3382 Block Public Health Units in 11 High Focus states. Support for other States/UTs under XV Finance Commission Health Sector Grants and NHM.
  4. Setting up of Integrated Public Health Labs in all districts.
  5. Establishing Critical Care Hospital Blocks in all districts with population more than 5 lakhs.
- Central Sector Components:
  1. 12 Central Institutions as training and mentoring sites with 150 bedded Critical Care Hospital Blocks;
  2. Strengthening of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), 5 New Regional NCDCs and 20 metropolitan health surveillance units;
  3. Expansion of the Integrated Health Information Portal to all States/UTs to connect all public health labs;
  4. Operationalization of 17 new Public Health Units and strengthening of 33 existing Public Health Units at Points of Entry, that is at 32 Airports, 11 Seaports and 7 land crossings;
  5. Setting up of 15 Health Emergency Operation Centres and 2 container based mobile hospitals; and
  6. Setting up of a national institution for One Health, 4 New National Institutes for Virology, a Regional Research Platform for WHO South East Asia Region and 9 Bio-Safety Level III laboratories.

Life Expectancy:

The World Bank has estimated that India's life expectancy has increased from 58 in 1990 to 69.8 in 2020, which is higher than the average for its income level.
Additionally, the 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 all in line with the average for India's income level.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of revitalizing, reforming, and developing capacity for essential public health functions and improving the quality and comprehensiveness of health services

Two Programmes:

The Public Health System for Pandemic Preparedness Programme, which has a budget of $500 million, will aid the government's initiatives to equip the country's surveillance system to effectively identify and report "epidemics of potential international concern".
- It will promptly respond to outbreaks, and prevent the emergence of pathogens, including zoonotic diseases.
In contrast, the Enhanced Health Service Delivery Programme, also with a budget of $500 million, will bolster the government's efforts to improve healthcare service delivery through a restructured primary healthcare model that enhances household access to primary healthcare facilities.
- The program will also improve the quality of care by supporting certification of National Quality Assurance Standards for health and wellness centers, and it will strengthen the implementation capacity, performance measurement, and knowledge exchange among states, thereby transforming health sector governance and accountability.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic was a sharp reminder that pandemic preparedness is a global public good and brought to light the critical need for pandemic preparedness and health system improvement worldwide.
The two projects are assisting India in its decision to strengthen the health system's capacity to withstand probable pandemics.
- This decision will have a significant beneficial effect on the individuals of the states taking part in the projects as well as have positive spillover effects on other states.

Source: The Hindu BL

Mains Question:

Q. How will the loans from the World Bank support and enhance India's health sector development, particularly in relation to the Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM)? Comment 150 words).