U.T. allotted ₹150 crore to strengthen health infrastructure, says MoS
The Hindu
PUDUCHERRY
The Union Territory of Puducherry has been earmarked a sum of ₹150 crore for a five year period to strengthen public health infrastructure, Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said on Sunday.
The Minister, who was in the city to hold consultations with health officials and representatives of major institutions, said the allocation under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, aimed at structural improvement of public health sector, including critical care components, laboratory infrastructure and ICU beds.
The U.T. was also allocated ₹70 crore under the National Health Mission to develop primary and secondary health sectors as part of delivering affordable and accessible care to patients.
Ms. Pawar, who held a review of the health sector, noted that Puducherry was performing well on several vital parameters such as declining maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate. The total fertility rate for the U.T., as per the National Family Health Survey-5, was 1.5.
During the review, it was submitted that there were an estimated 6 lakh eligible beneficiaries identified under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana that provides ₹5 lakh cover, the Minister said. It was also noted that about 29,000 have till date availed treatment under the flagship scheme and a sum of ₹5 crore budgeted for their treatment, the Minister said.
Ms. Pawar said the Centre had also allocated ₹20 crore to the U.T. as part of releasing support to all States under the India COVID-19 Emergency Response & Health System Preparedness Package ECRP-I. The U.T. had been allotted ₹9 crore under ERCP-II.
According to the Minister, the annual allocation for JIPMER, a legacy tertiary care institution, had been increased from ₹1,000 crore to ₹1,340 crore in the current fiscal. Delivering quality care that was accessible and affordable to citizens is a shared objective of the Centre and State government, she said.
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