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, identify, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen its public health preparedness.
Largest-ever health sector support
According to the report published by Economic Times, this is the largest ever health sector support from the World Bank to India. Moreover, this new support will include 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.
“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,” a World Bank statement said on Friday.
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, ventilators, and medicines, particularly in district hospitals and designated infectious disease hospitals will be scaled up under the project, the statement added.
World Bank’s support to the world
Speaking about emergency funds, World Bank group president David Malpass said they are taking rapid action to reduce the spread of COVID-19. He said health response operations are already moving forward in over 65 countries, said a report.
“We are working to strengthen developing nations’ ability to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and shorten the time to economic and social recovery. The poorest and most vulnerable countries will likely be hit the hardest, and our teams around the world remain focused on country-level and regional solutions to address the ongoing crisis,” Malpass said.
Additionally, the World Bank is also supporting countries to obtain critically medical supplies by reaching out to suppliers on behalf of governments.
According to the reports, in the South Asia region, the World Bank is providing $100 million to support Afghanistan to slow and limit the spread of COVID-19 and $200 million to support Pakistan’s preparedness and emergency response in the health sector.
