The Centre has released more than ₹890 crore as the second instalment of COVID-19 aid to strengthen the health response in 22 States and Union Territories. The amount of financial assistance is based on case load, according to an official statement from the Health Ministry.
This is part of the ₹15,000-crore package announced in March to support States’ emergency response and the preparedness of their health systems. The money was meant for patient treatment, manpower training and medical infrastructure.
“The second instalment will be used for strengthening of public health facilities’ infrastructure for testing, including procurement and installation of RT-PCR machines, RNA extraction kits, TRUNAT & CBNAAT machines and BSL-II cabinets, strengthening of public health facilities infrastructure for treatment and development of ICU beds, installation of oxygen generators, cryogenic oxygen tanks and medical gas pipelines in public health facilities and procurement of bedside oxygen concentrators,” said the statement.
The money will also be used to recruit, train and pay incentives to healthcare workers and volunteers, including ASHA workers, on COVID-19 duty. The States that will get funds are Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.
The first instalment of ₹3,000 crore was released in April to all States and UTs, and was used to ramp up testing facilities, augment hospital infrastructure and conduct surveillance activities, along with procurement of essential equipment, drugs and other supplies.
