Health takes prime spot in Kerala Budget

Improving infrastructure in hospitals, vaccine research and manufacture also in proposals

June 04, 2021 02:47 pm | Updated 02:53 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

A bus converted into a mobile COVID-19 hospital at Cherpulassery.

A bus converted into a mobile COVID-19 hospital at Cherpulassery.

Health, like never before, has taken centre stage in a State Budget presented in the middle of the second wave of COVID-19, which has taken innumerable lives, crippled the livelihood of many, and thrown the economy haywire.

It has taken the COVID pandemic to impress upon political administrations that health has to be put above all and that investment in public health is the way to social development and economic welfare of the State.

The revised budget presented by Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal on Friday has thus taken a very realistic and futuristic approach in investing in epidemic preparedness of the State health system and at the same time putting forth proposals for exploring and augmenting the State’s research capacity in health.

In addition to the ₹20,000-crore COVID package declared in the previous budget at the beginning of the pandemic to provide relief, a second COVID package of ₹20,000 crore has now been declared by the Finance Minister.

The new COVID package is for facing the socio-economic and health challenges that have emerged in the backdrop of the second wave. Of this, ₹2,800 crore will be spent towards facing the health emergency, the budget says.

The new initiatives planned on the health front focusses on improving the surge capacity of public health system infrastructure to handle the huge volume of patients that should be expected during an infectious disease epidemic, requiring hospitalised care.

The government proposes to set up 10-bed isolation wards for contagious diseases right from community health centres (CHCs) upwards and in all taluk, district and General Hospitals. The budget estimates that ₹636.5 crore will be needed for this. MLAs will be requested to contribute towards this cause by dipping into their Asset Development Fund.

Every Medical College hospital in the State will get a separate block for the effective management of contagious diseases, especially in the context that in a well-connected world, outbreaks of highly pathogenic and infectious airborne diseases like Ebola and Nipah are a just one flight away. The budget earmarks ₹50 crore this year for setting up such isolation blocks in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode Medical Colleges.

In anticipation of a third wave of COVID-19, when children, who were largely spared during the first and second wave of COVID, may be expected to be the worst affected, paediatric emergency care facilities are being strengthened across districts.

The budget, as a first step, suggests the enhancement of bed strength in all Paediatric ICUs in the State. Paediatric ICU wards will be constructed in select district hospitals and Medical Colleges, for which ₹25 crore have been earmarked for the initial phase.

Human resources in health

During the second wave of COVID, one of the most important problems that all hospitals, in both public and private sector, faced, was the acute shortage of staff. Doctors came out in the open to say that it was impossible to run these additional facilities as healthcare workers were already working double or triple shifts and were exhausted.

In focusing on just the improvement of health infrastructure and preparedness, the Finance Minister seems to have totally ignored this crucial requirement. The budget makes no mention of the need for additional human resources in health sector.

Infection control

Infection control measures in hospitals to reduce nosocomial infections is in focus in the budget and it is proposed that all existing autoclave rooms in taluk, district and General Hospitals be converted into Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD). A sum of ₹18.75 crore has been set apart for establishing 25 CSSDs this year.

Oxygen

The government has proposed to enhance the State’s oxygen capacity by setting up a new liquid oxygen plant of 150 metric tonne daily production capacity and a reserve storage capacity of 1,000 metric tonne as well as tankers for supply. Plants will be established as joint ventures with reputed companies. The budget sets aside ₹25 lakh towards the initial expenses of preparing a detailed project report and the government expects to float the tender for the same by September 15.

Research

One of the important proposals that has come up in the budget is the setting up of a medical research institution modelled on the Centres for Disease Control in the U.S., which could lead the State in medical research, disease surveillance, and prediction. The said institution is being envisaged as a Centre of Excellence capable of providing multi-disciplinary inputs for the management of contagious diseases.

The budget sets aside ₹50 lakh for preparing a project report on the feasibility of the project.

Vaccine

Reiterating the State government’s commitment to provide COVID-19 vaccines free of cost to every one in the State, the budget sets aside ₹1,000 crore for vaccines for all above 18 years. A sum of ₹500 crore is set aside for the purchase of allied equipment.

With vaccine scarcity emerging as the major impediment to expediting vaccination process in the State, Kerala has proposed long-term measures for in-house vaccine research and manufacture. Vaccine research will commence at the Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV) under Kerala State Council for Science and Technology. The IAV will take lead in inviting vaccine manufacturers to set up their units in the Life Sciences Park, for which the budget has set aside ₹10 crore.

Health Grant for Local Government

The Finance Minister has said in the budget that ₹559 crore from the 15th Finance Commission’s health grant for the State will be handed over to local bodies in the current financial year.

This amount will be utilised for strengthening sub-centres, family health centres, community health centres, urban primary health centres etc.

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