National Policy on Healthcare Infrastructure
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
RAJYA SABHA
NATIONAL POLICY ON HEALTHCARE INFRASTRUCTURE
18 SHRI AYODHYA RAMI REDDY
Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:
(a) whether there is an urgent need for a national policy on healthcare infrastructure by developing capacities of primary, secondary and tertiary care, healthcare systems and institutions for detection and cure of new and emerging diseases in view of the recent outbreak of COVID-19; and
(b) if so, the steps being taken by Government in this regard?
(SHRI MANSUKH MANDAVIYA)
(a) & (b): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 18 FOR 20THJULY, 2021
The National Health policy 2017 lays down the objective of providing equitable, accessible, universal and affordable health care services. It has adequate provisions for developing capacities of primary, secondary and tertiary care health systems. Public health and hospitals being a State Subject, the basic responsibility of providing health services vests with the States/UTs. The Government of India provides technical and financial support to the States through centrally sponsored schemes like National Health Mission (NHM), Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), Human Resource for Health & Medical Education (HRH&ME- Up gradation of District Hospitals to Medical Colleges) etc. for strengthening these health systems and institutions, including for detection and cure of new emerging diseases, based on the proposals received from the States/UTs. The 15th Finance Commission has also awarded grants to rural and urban local bodies for strengthening primary healthcare services from FY 2021-22 onwards.
Further, through the 2 pillars of Ayushman Bharat that is Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centre (AB-HWC) and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), the Primary, secondary and tertiary health care system is being strengthened.
- (AB-HWC) -With the objective of delivering comprehensive primary health care, closer to the homes of people, 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) are being set up. More than 77,284, HWCs are functional as on 15.07.2021.
- (PM-JAY)-It is the largest health assurance scheme providing a health cover of Rs 5 lakhs per year for secondary and tertiary care to approximately 50 cr beneficiaries from poor and vulnerable families.
Under the ‘India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness package’ (a 100% centrally Funded scheme), support has been provided to the States/UTs for the management of COVID-19 including for scaling up facilities for the detection of COVID-19 and augmentation of the healthcare infrastructure. Dedicated COVID Hospitals (DCH), Dedicated COVID Health Centres (DCHC), Dedicated COVID Care Centres (DCCC) and COVID testing laboratories have been set up by States/UTs with support from this package. The details of Health infrastructure strengthened for Coivd-19 treatment is placed at Annexure I.
To further support the States, a new package ‘India COVID-19 Emergency Response & Health System Preparedness Package’: Phase-II (in short ECRP-II, for FY 2021-22, has been approved by the Union Cabinet. The scheme has Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored components. This would accelerate health system preparedness, with its focus on health infrastructure including for paediatric care. The details are at Annexure II
The “PM Atma Nirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana” has been announced in the budget of FY 2021-22, for building on existing capacities of primary, secondary and tertiary care health systems, strengthening the existing national institutions and creating institutions to cater to detection and cure of new and emerging diseases. Details are at Annexure III
Annexure-I
Details of Exponential Growth in Health Infrastructure for Coivd-19 Treatment
Table 1
|
S. No. |
Category |
As |
As June 2021 |
Increase |
|
1 |
Dedicated COVID hospitals |
163 |
4389 |
27 times |
|
2 |
Dedicated COVID health centres |
0 |
8340 |
– |
|
3 |
Dedicated COVID Care Centre |
0 |
10,015 |
– |
|
4 |
Oxygen supported beds |
50583 |
4,16,947 |
8 times |
|
5 |
Total isolation beds (excluding ICU beds) |
41000 |
1,811,850 |
44 times |
|
6 |
Total ICU beds |
2500 |
121,671 |
48 times |
|
S.No. |
Category |
As |
|
1 |
Total Tests Conducted |
43,80,11,958 |
|
2 |
Govt. Testing laboratories |
1,288 |
|
3 |
Private Testing laboratories |
1,451 |
- Create Paediatric units in all districts and also, to establish Paediatric Centre of Excellence (Paediatric CoE) in each State/UT, (either in Medical Colleges, State Govt. Hospitals or Central Hospitals such as AIIMS, INIs, etc) for providing Tele- ICU services, mentoring and technical hand-holding to the District Paediatric units.
- Augment ICU beds in public healthcare system out of which 20% will be Pediatric ICU beds.
- Provide care closer to the community due to the ingress of COVID-19 in rural, peri- urban and tribal areas, by creating pre-fabricated structures for adding additional beds at the existing CHCs, PHCs and SHCs (6-20 bedded units) and support would also be provided to establish bigger field hospitals (50-100 bedded units) depending on the needs at tier-II or Tier-III cities and district HQs.
- Install Liquid Medical Oxygen Storage Tanks with Medical Gas Pipeline System (MGPS), with an aim to support at least one such unit per district.
- Augment the existing fleet of ambulances especially ALS ambulances to ensure at least one ALS ambulance is available in each block.
- Engage Final year MBBS students, Interns, Post Graduate Residents and final year BSc, & GNM nursing students for effective COVID management.
- As “Test, Isolate and Treat” and following COVID Appropriate Behaviour at all the times, is the national strategy for effective COVID-19, support will be available to the States to maintain at least 21.5 lakhs tests per day.
- Flexible support to the Districts for meeting the requirement of essential medicines for COVID-19 management, including creation of buffer stock.
- a. Support for 17,788 rural Building less Sub-centres and 11,024 urban Health and Wellness Centres;
- b. Setting up integrated public health labs in all districts and 3382 block public health units in 11 States;
- c. Establishing critical care hospital blocks in 602 districts and 12 central institutions;
- d. Strengthening of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), its 5 regional branches and 20 metropolitan health surveillance units;
- e. Expansion of the Integrated Health Information Portal to all States/UTs to connect all public health labs;
- f. Operationalisation of 17 new Public Health Units and strengthening of 33 existing Public Health Units at Points of Entry, that is at 32 Airports, 11 Seaports and 7 Land crossings;
- g. Setting up of 15 Health Emergency Operation Centres and 2 mobile hospitals.