Page 16 - NIS English May16-31

War Against COVID-19

Health for All

In 2014, when a new Government took the reigns of the country, for the first time, a
radical change was initiated in a sector that had never been paid the same attention
before. The Government began overhauling the health infrastructure through building new
hospitals, medical colleges, and other medical facilities. It has rolled out various schemes
to provide free health services to the poor in addition to boosting the health sector in

villages, towns and large cities for balanced development

raditionally the reach of
the health infrastructure Emphasis on making changes from top to bottom
Tfor the masses in the
country has been abysmally
low which impedes ensuring 137%
universal health services for all.
The remote parts of the country
are most affected as they lack hike in the budget for the health
competent health workers or sector highlights Government
infrastructure. With an aim to end priorities
of fund allocation by hiking the 80%
this anomaly for the first time in
the annual budget health sector
has been given the biggest share

provisions for this sector by 137 amount of the first phase of the
per cent. vaccination was given from PM

Meeting the expectations Cares Fund. Special grants for
When the first case of Corona the ventilators and oxygen plants
was found out in the country on
January 30, 2020, at that time
only the National Institute of
Virology in Pune had facilities to Special emphasis on these four sectors
conduct such tests. Presently, to improve health infrastructure
2,486 labs across the country
have Corona testing facilities.
The Government with the twin
aim to combat the contagious 01 02 03 04
diseases in their initial stage
and providing facilities for
its treatment embarked on a
mission to ramp up the health
infrastructure. In 2021-22 annual Promoting Ensuring affordable Emphasis on Working on
budget special provisions have cleanliness and effective improving health mission mode
been made under 'Prime Minister to stop the treatment facilities infrastructure and to overcome
Aatmanirbhar Swasth Bharat outbreak of to poor improving quality of hurdles
Yojana' for the purpose. diseases medical fraternity

14 New India Samachar