Centre approves Rs 23,123 cr emergency response package to fight Covid-19

The central government on Thursday approved a Rs 23,000 crore relief package for combating Covid-19 and dealing with issues which occurred during the second wave.

Addressing the media after the first Cabinet meeting following the reshuffle, newly appointed health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the Centre would provide Rs 15,000 crore and states Rs 8,000 crore and the plan would be implemented jointly by them across all the 736 districts of the country to improve medical infrastructure at primary and district health centres.

"Rs 23,000 crore package will be given to deal with the problems that occurred in the second wave of Covid-19. It will be used jointly by the central and state governments to boost emergency health infrastructure," Mandaviya said.

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Underlining the need for a collective fight against Covid-19, Mandaviya stated the package will be implemented over the next nine months till March 2022.

"We have to collectively fight against Covid. The package approved by Cabinet is to be implemented by the Centre and states from July this year to Mar 2022. We have to get it done quickly. State governments will have to do it quickly and our duty is to help the state in every possible way," he added.

Mandaviya said this is the second phase of the 'Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package' as the Central government had given Rs 15,000 crore earlier for setting up Covid-dedicated hospitals and health centres across the country.

Amid fears of an impending third wave, the minister informed that around 2.4 lakh normal medical beds and 20,000 ICU beds would be created, of which 20 per cent would be specially earmarked for children.

Mandaviya said that 1050 Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) storage tanks with Medical Gas Pipeline System (MGPS), with an aim of supporting at least one such unit per district, would be installed under the plan.

"The plan aims to accelerate health system preparedness for immediate responsiveness for early prevention, detection and management of Covid with the focus on infrastructure development including for Paediatric Care and with measurable outcomes," he added.

The Centre would also provide support for expanding the National Architecture of e-Sanjeevani tele-consultation platform to provide upto 5 lakhs of tele-consultations per day from the present 50,000 tele-consultations per day.

"This includes support to the states/UTs to enable tele-consultations with Covid patients at the Covid Care Centres (CCCs) by strengthening Hubs for eSanjeevani Tele-consultation in all the districts of the country," Mandaviya said.

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