Centre approves Rs 15,000 crore COVID-19 emergency response package for states, UTs

Centre on Thursday unveiled a Rs 15,000 crore special package to help states and union territories to beef up healthcare systems and prepare them for future disease outbreaks, even as COVID-19 claimed 17 more lives taking the death toll to 166.

The ‘COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package’ was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 when he announced the 21-day national lock down to arrest the spread of the respiratory disease caused by a virus.

The 100% centrally funded package will be implemented in three phases up to March 2024 and is aimed at beefing up national and state health systems, procurement of essential medical equipment and drugs, strengthening of surveillance including setting up of laboratories and bio-security preparedness with a view to make India ready to take on future disease outbreaks.

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Of the Rs 15,000 crores set aside, Rs 7774 crore will be utilised for immediate COVID-19 Emergency Response, while the balance will be for medium-term support over the next four years under a mission mode approach.

The first phase of the package would cover setting up of dedicated COVID-19 hospitals, isolation wards, ICUs with ventilators and oxygen supply in hospitals. It would also include “procurement of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and ventilators over and above what is being procured and supplied by the government of India.”

Besides, the Centre also plans to strengthen 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.

The Centre has also placed orders for supply of 1.7 crore PPEs with 30 domestic manufacturers and also initiated the process to acquiring 49,000 ventilators.

In a letter to chief secretaries of states, Vandana Gurnani, Additional Secretary in the Health Ministry and Mission Director of the National Health Mission, said the ministry was releasing funds under the immediate response of this package for- your- states/UT under National Health Mission for implementation of phase 1 up to June 2020

During Phase-1, the states would also be strengthening identified laboratories and carry out expansion of diagnostics capacities, including procurement of diagnostic equipment, testing kits and other reagents and mobility support for sample transport, disinfection of hospitals, government ambulances, information education and surveillance activities.

In a letter to the addichief secretaries, principal secretaries and commissioners(Health) of all states and UTs, the Health Ministry said the 100 per cent centrally funded package will be implemented in three phases from January 2020 to March 2024.

"With the objectives of emergency COVID-19 response, strengthening national and state health systems to support prevention and preparedness, procurement of essential medical equipment, consumables and drugs, strengthening of surveillance activities, including setting up of laboratories and bio-security preparedness," the letter said.

According to the letter, the Union Health Ministry is releasing funds for states and Union territories under the National Health Mission for implementation of phase 1 up to June 2020.

"The key activities to be implemented under Phase 1 include support to states and UTs for development of dedicated COVID-19 hospitals, isolation blocks, ICUs with ventilators oxygen supply in hospitals, strengthening of laboratories, hiring of additional human resources and incentives to human resource and community health volunteers," the letter added.

It also includes strengthening of identified laboratories and expansion of diagnostic capacities and mobility support for sample transport. The ministry has also asked states and UTs to use the funds for the procurement of personal protective equipment, N-95 masks and ventilators over and above what is being procured and supplied by the central government.

The activities to be undertaken also include disinfection of hospitals, government offices, public utilities and ambulances, the letter said.

The project will be implemented in three phases during the period January 2020 to March 2024 -- Phase 1 from January to June 2020, phase 2 from July to March 2021 and phase 3 from April 2021 to March 2024.

The death toll due to novel coronavirus rose to 166 and the number of cases climbed to 5,734 in the country on Thursday, according to the Union Health Ministry.

There has been a lag in the Union Health Ministry figures, compared to the number of deaths announced by different states, which officials attribute to procedural delays in assigning the cases to individual states.