 "Rs 14744.99 cr approved for states, UTs under Covid emergency package")
The Union Health Ministry on Friday approved another instalment of Rs 14744.99 crore under the India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package (ECRP-II package) to all states and UTs.
In view of the second wave, its spread into rural, peri-urban and tribal areas, and the evolving pandemic situation, the Union Cabinet approved a new scheme 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package: Phase-II (ECRP-II package)' on July 8 amounting to Rs 23,123 crore. This scheme is to be implemented from July 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, the ministry said in a statement.
To fast track the implementation of the ECRP-II, on July 22, Rs 1827.80 crore have been released to the states and UTs as 15 per cent advance to undertake preparatory activities.
Further, 35 per cent funds are being released on Friday to the states and UTs, thus, making a total of 50 per cent release of funds so as to ensure implementation of critical activities at the state and district levels to prepare the public healthcare systems in response to the evolving pandemic, the statement said.
This scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme with some central sector components. It aims to accelerate health system preparedness for immediate responsiveness for early prevention, detection and management, with a focus on health infrastructure development including for paediatric care and with measurable outcomes.
Under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) components of the ECRP-II, states and UTs have been supported by way of approvals for Emergency COVID Response Plans (ECRP) to the tune of Rs 14744.99 crore.
The proposals for the infrastructure to be created have been received from the states.
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The CSS component of ECRP-II package will support states and UTs for the creation of 827 paediatric units in the districts which will result in additional creation of 19,030 oxygen supported beds and 10,440 ICU/HDU beds, and to augment 23,056 ICU beds in public healthcare system out of which 20 per cent will be paediatric ICU beds.
The package will help to establish 42 Paediatric Centres of Excellence (Paediatric CoE), at least one in each state and UT, (either in medical colleges, state government hospitals or central hospitals such as AIIMS, INIs, etc) for providing tele-ICU services, mentoring and technical hand-holding to the district paediatric units.
It will also support the states and UTs to provide care closer to the community due to the ingress of COVID-19 in rural, peri-urban and tribal areas, by creating 8,010 pre-fabricated structures for adding additional beds at the existing CHCs, PHCs and SHCs (6-20 bedded units) which will help in creation of 75,218 oxygen supported beds.
It will help to establish 203 field hospitals (50-100 bedded units) depending on the requirements posed by the states/UTs in tier-II or tier-III cities and district headquarters which will help in creation of 13,065 oxygen supported beds and to install 961 Liquid Medical Oxygen Storage Tanks with support to 1,450 facilities for Medical Gas Pipeline System (MGPS), with an aim to support at least one such unit per district.
It will be used to support states and UTs in augmenting the existing fleet of ambulances, with 5,768 Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances among others and to meet the requirement of essential medicines for COVID-19 management, including creation of buffer stock among others. Approvals have been accorded to 740 districts in the states and UTs for providing essential drugs including buffer stock up to the cost of Rs 1 crore per district.
ECRP-I for Rs 15,000 crore (USD 2 billion) has been released to all states and UTs in April 2021 to prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19.
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