Kerala health system gets global funding boost
The World Bank on Friday said it has approved a USD 280 million loan (around Rs.24360 crore) for a health system programme in Kerala to improve the life expectancy and quality of life for 11 million elderly and vulnerable people. The programme aims to treat and support over 90 percent of patients registered for hypertension and diabetes in the state through individual electronic tracking mechanisms. It will also establish a home-based care model for bedbound, homebound, and vulnerable elderly to provide comprehensive health services.
“The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors have approved a new programme to improve the life expectancy and quality of life for 11 million elderly and vulnerable people in the state of Kerala through wider access to health coverage and resilient health systems,” the World Bank said in a statement. The USD 280 million Kerala Health System Improvement Programme will build a more comprehensive health system resistant to climate shocks. It will also strengthen Kerala’s digital health systems through expanded eHealth services, integrated data platforms, and enhanced cybersecurity.
“Kerala has made sustained health gains for more than two decades with improved neonatal (3.4 per 1,000 live births), infant (4.4 per 1,000 live births), under-five mortality (5.2 per 1,000 live births) rates, and maternal mortality (19 per 100,000 live births) rates. This stems from high literacy rates, public health awareness, as well as decentralized governance. However, a rising burden of non-communicable diseases (hypertension, diabetes, cancer) and a rapidly aging population (with the elderly comprising over 20 percent of the total population) has strained the health system. Moreover, there are gaps in emergency and trauma care with over 4,000 deaths in road traffic reported annually,” said the statement issued by the World Bank.
The $280 million Kerala Health System Improvement Programme will build a more comprehensive health system resistant to climate shocks. It will also strengthen Kerala’s digital health systems through expanded eHealth services, integrated data platforms, and enhanced cybersecurity. The Program aims to treat and support over 90 percent of patients registered for hypertension and diabetes in the state through individual electronic tracking mechanisms. It will also establish a home-based care model for bedbound, homebound, and vulnerable elderly, to provide comprehensive health services.
“The programme will ensure a 40 percent increase in patients whose hypertension is controlled and a 60 percent increase in cervical and breast cancer screening for women to accelerate efforts to end preventable deaths,” said Paul Procee, the World Bank’s Acting Country Director for India. The programme will engage with local government bodies such as gram panchayats and municipal corporations, adopt standard protocols and procedures for antibiotic use, and address zoonotic disease outbreaks by fast-tracking reliable laboratory information for patients.
Primary health facilities in the districts of Wayanad, Kozhikode, Kasaragod, Palakkad, and Alappuzha will also adopt climate-led solutions to improve energy efficiency and manage extreme heat and floods. The USD 280 million loan from the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a final maturity of 25 years with a grace period of five years, the World Bank said.
Government of India has to sign a loan agreement with the World Bank for the States to get the loans. It is interesting to note that Kerala State is ruled by a Communist government. The loan amount is passed to the states through the Government of India, and the payments are to be paid back by the Government of India, which collects from the States.
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