World Bank fast-tracks $1 bn COVID-19 support for India

In its largest ever health sector support to India, the World Bank's board of executive directors has approved a fast-track $1 billion 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project' to help India prevent, detect, and respond to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and strengthen its public health preparedness.

 

In its largest ever health sector support to India, the World Bank's board of executive directors has approved a fast-track $1 billion 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project' to help India prevent, detect, and respond to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and strengthen its public health preparedness. #

This new support will cover all states and Union territories across India and address the needs of infected people, at-risk populations, medical and emergency personnel and service providers, medical and testing facilities, and national and animal health agencies.

 

In its largest ever health sector support to India, the World Bank's board of executive directors has approved a fast-track $1 billion 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project' to help India prevent, detect, and respond to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and strengthen its public health preparedness. #

The project will immediately enable the Government of India (GOI) to scale-up efforts to limit human-to-human transmission, including reducing local transmission of cases and containing the epidemic from progressing further. In parallel, interventions to strengthen the health system will be rolled out to improve the country’s capacity to respond to the COVID-19 epidemic and be better prepared to respond to emerging disease outbreaks, including transmission between humans and animals.

 

In its largest ever health sector support to India, the World Bank's board of executive directors has approved a fast-track $1 billion 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project' to help India prevent, detect, and respond to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and strengthen its public health preparedness. #

Procurement of testing kits; setting up of new isolation wards — including turning hospital beds into intensive care unit beds; infection prevention and control; and purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, and medicines, particularly in district hospitals and designated infectious disease hospitals will be scaled up under the project.

 

In its largest ever health sector support to India, the World Bank's board of executive directors has approved a fast-track $1 billion 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project' to help India prevent, detect, and respond to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and strengthen its public health preparedness. #

“The World Bank is working in close partnership with the Government of India to provide urgent and flexible support to the country as it fights the spread of COVID-19,” said Junaid Ahmad, World Bank country director for India. “This operation is expected to enhance surveillance capacities, strengthen diagnostic systems, and expand the capacity of laboratories. But, COVID-19 is not only a health challenge. It has deep social and economic implications. In parallel, we are working with equal urgency with the government on social protection programmes and economic measures that protect the livelihoods of people.”

 

In its largest ever health sector support to India, the World Bank's board of executive directors has approved a fast-track $1 billion 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project' to help India prevent, detect, and respond to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and strengthen its public health preparedness. #

The project is financed from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) in the amount of $1 billion, of which $350 million is provided through the World Bank Group’s COVID-19 Fast-Track Facility. It will be managed by the National Health Mission (NHM), the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) under the ministry of health and family welfare.

 

In its largest ever health sector support to India, the World Bank's board of executive directors has approved a fast-track $1 billion 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project' to help India prevent, detect, and respond to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and strengthen its public health preparedness. #