India issues $432.2m grant to improve public health preparedness

One key step is the reinforcement of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.

India has provided approximately $432.2m (Rs. 3,619.82 crore) in grants under the Pradhan Mantri- Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) for better public health preparedness between FY2021-2024.

This follows an allocation of $1.01b (Rs. 8473.73 crore) in FY 2020-21 under the India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package (ECRP-I), followed by a funding of $1.5b (Rs. 12,740.22 crore) for the ECRP-II.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has reinforced the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), under the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP).

According to the ministry, this programme allows for a decentralised system of response through trained multi-disciplinary Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) to institute requisite public health control and containment measures.

Moreover, the platform has been upgraded to utilise data modelling and analytical tools and contain real-time data reporting for all levels.

Furthermore, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also launched a network of over 150 Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) and is set to establish four regional institutes at Jammu, Jabalpur, Dibrugarh, and Bengaluru.

(INR1 = $0.012)