One billion US dollar agreement between India and World Bank, healthcare will be made better

The World Bank and India on Friday signed two complementary loans of $500 million each. With these agreements between the two, India's health infrastructure will be further improved. Through this joint financing of one billion US dollars, the World Bank will support India's flagship Prime Minister-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM).

PM-ABHIM was launched in October 2021, to improve public health facilities across the country. The World Bank reported that in addition to national-level interventions, the loans will prioritize healthcare delivery in seven states including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

The agreement was signed between Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, and Auguste Tano Coume, Director, World Bank India, from the Indian side. Auguste Tano Coume said that COVID-19 brought to the fore the urgent need to strengthen pandemic preparedness and health systems around the world. He said that preparedness to fight the pandemic is a public good at the global level. India's performance in the health sector has improved over time. According to World Bank estimates, India's life expectancy stood at 69.8 in 2020, up from 58 in 1990. According to the data, the under-five mortality rate is (36 per 1,000), infant mortality rate (30 per 1,000) and maternal mortality rate (103 per 1,00,000).

However, despite these advances in the health of the Indian population, COVID-19 brought to the fore the need to improve the quality and comprehensiveness of healthcare delivery, along with major public health functions.