The Centre has made an exception for Bangalore to include the City among the first five metros where the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) will be launched in 2008-09.
Though the programme initially will focus on providing healthcare facilities in slums in the five metros with a population of more than 40 lakh, it would be extended to 100 cities and towns in the first year itself.
Besides Bangalore, Hubli-Dharwad is the only other city in the State that figured in the list of 100 NUHM cities prepared by the health ministry. Between 2008 and 2012, the Central government is estimated to spend more than Rs 7,079 crore on improving healthcare facilities for the urban poor. The slum population is expected reach 5.01 crore by 2007-08.
Eventually the national urban health mission will be extended to 329 more cities which include 26 Karnataka towns. According to the 2001 census, Bangalore has a population of 4,292,223 out of which 819,873 — almost 19 per cent — reside in the slums where access to healthcare is minimal.
In Hubli-Dharwad, almost 14 per cent of its 7.86 lakh population lives in urban chawls.
Actually Bangalore was a last-minute inclusion in the list as it was initially decided to start the programme in four metros and subsequently extend it to other towns.
The NUHM will be kick-started in Mumbai — where more than 54 per cent population lives in slums — in 2008 financial year.
Even non-slum dwellers can take the advantage of NUHM but they will have to pay user charge.
For people below the poverty line, NUHM will arrange some medical insurance whose premiums will be paid by the government. As many as 4,500 primary health centres will be used in this mission, out of which 2,000 centres will be new, sources said.
There will be extensive partnership with NGOs as the government plans to operationalise 2107 primary health level facilities through partnership mechanism for which Rs 1,697.33 crore has been earmarked.
While the programme will be 100 per cent centrally funded in the first year, the state will have to contribute 15 per cent while the remaining will come from the centre.
From 2010-11 the state’s contribution will be reduced to 10 per cent while municipalities will have to chip in with 5 per cent contribution.
In the 12th Plan, the Centre will give 70 per cent of the budget and the rest will be shared by the state health department and municipalities.
NUHM is designed on the basis of the National Rural Health Mission, which will share some its resources with the urban health mission.