The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : World Bank approves Rs. 502-crore loan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 18, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

World Bank approves Rs. 502-crore loan

By Ramya Kannan

CHENNAI, DEC. 17. World Bank assistance for the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Development Project has finally come through, with the Washington office on Thursday clearing a loan of over Rs. 502 crores.

While the project itself will cost Rs. 597.15 crores over five years, the Tamil Nadu Government is expected to bear 15 per cent of the amount (about Rs. 94 crores) towards some components, including payment of salaries.

The World Bank will contribute the rest, health department officials say.

Main objective

The main objective of HSDP is to substantially improve the health infrastructure of Tamil Nadu at the secondary-level institutions. The primary intervention, therefore, will be in the area of infrastructure improvement, which includes providing modern equipment and improving basic necessities in 270 district and sub-district hospitals in the State.

Emergency obstetrics

It will also aid in achieving the Millennium Development Goals of improving maternal health and reducing child mortality, which includes funding the setting up of 62 centres to provide 24-hour comprehensive emergency obstetrics and new born care (CeMONC).

While some CeMONC centres have already been started in Tamil Nadu, health department officials believe that fresh funding for the project will provide the impetus required to gear up obstetric and new born care all over the State.

Information system

Under the project, effective models to combat non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardio vascular diseases and cancer are being developed to be prepared for the shift from communicable diseases to non-communicable ones. Over the period of five years, the project will also draw up plans to put in place a comprehensive Health Management Information System and facilitate a fruitful private-public partnership in health care.

Already, the State has outlined a comprehensive health care waste management system to address the issues of hospital waste disposal in both the government hospitals and private institutions.

It will focus on setting up common treatment facilities in bigger cities and smaller stand-alone units in smaller towns and ensuring that the Bio-Medical Waste rules are implemented.

A tribal health care component has also been factored in, to take care of one of the aims of HSDP: improving the health status of people, specifically those living in remote and inaccessible areas.

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