Government sanctions Rs 15000 crore to strengthen India's fight against COVID-19

Union Government today sanctioned Rs 15,000 crore for India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package. Out of the total fund, Rs 7,774 crore rupees will be utilised for immediate COVID-19 Emergency Response and rest of sum will be used for medium-term support of one to four years to be provided under mission mode approach.

The package was sanctioned to strengthen India's fight against Coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic.

The "COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package" will be implemented in three phases – and they are

• From January 2020 to June 2020
• From July 2020 to March 2021
• From April 2021 to March 2024

The fund will be divided among all states and union territories.

Key Objectives of the Package

The package includes mounting emergency response to slow and limit COVID-19 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.

Aim of the Package

The package aims at strengthening and building resilient National and State health systems to support prevention and preparedness for future disease outbreak.

It also includes 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.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier, in his address to the nation on March 24, 2020, highlighted that the Central Government has provisioned Rs 15,000 crore for treating Coronavirus patients and strengthening the medical infrastructure of the country.

The Health Ministry has been playing a lead role in executing the health sector response with containment and control as key response strategies. So far, a total of 223 labs comprising a network of 157 government and 66 private laboratories are conducting a rigorous screening process. The Ministry has already disbursed Rs 4,113 crore to all the States and Union Territories for dealing with the emergency COVID response.