Centre approves ~ 15k-cr fund to fight coronavirus
BOLSTERING HEALTH SYSTEM ~7,700 crore to be utilised immediately and rest in four years; cases cross 6,000
NEW DELHI: The central government on Thursday sanctioned ₹15,000 crores for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness aimed at boosting national and state health systems to support procurement of essential medical e quipment and drugs, and strengthening of surveillance activities., Union health ministry announced on Thursday, as the number of confirmed cases crossed 6,000 in the country.
Of t he ~ 15,000 crore t otal amount, ₹7,774 crore will be utilised for an immediate Covid-19 emergency response and rest for medium term support (1-4 years) to be provided under mission mode approach.
The key objectives of the package, the ministry said in a statement, include “mounting emergency response to slow and limit the spread of the virus in the country 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 fund will also be used to strengthen and build resilient national and state health systems to support any such outbreaks in the future, setting up of laboratories, bolstering surveillance activities, bio-security preparedness, and pandemic research, it said.
These interventions and initiatives would be implemented under the umbrella of the health ministry.
Meanwhile, 6,399 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were reported across 32 states and Union territories till 7pm on Thursday, according to covid19india.org, a website that tracks coronavirus infections in India on real time basis, while deaths mounted to 186.
Maharashtra, with 162 new cases on Thursday, continued to record the most cases in India at 1,287. Tamil Nadu, with 96 fresh infections, came a close second at 834 positive cases.
Meanwhile, a high- l evel meeting of the group of ministers (GOM) took place at the health ministry on Thursday where of f i ci al s di s cussed, among other issues, improvement in containment strategy and preparedness measures in with states.
The Centre has constituted 10 high-level multi-disciplinary central teams to help states from where high number of cases are being reported. The t eams have been rushed t o Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Prades, to aid them in containment preparedness, hospital preparedness and ventilator management.