World Bank project aims to boost healthcare services in Mizoram

The $32 million loan from the IBRD has a maturity of 14.5 years

The Centre, Mizoram government and World Bank on Thursday signed a $32 million Mizoram Health Systems Strengthening Project to improve management capacity and quality of health services in Mizoram.

The project seeks to strengthen the governance and the management structure of the department of health and family welfare and its subsidiaries, improve the quality and coverage of services delivered by the state government health systems, and invest in a comprehensive quality assurance program for quality certification of health facilities.

A key focus will be to strengthen the effectiveness of the state health insurance program; build synergies with the Government of India’s Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PMJAY), and thereby reduce financial barriers in accessing hospital services, prevent catastrophic out of pocket expenditure for health by poor families and expand coverage, World Bank said in a statement.

It also seeks to help the health sector staff, specifically at the secondary and primary levels, by strengthening their planning and management capacity along with building their clinical skills and competencies.

The agreement was signed by Rajat Kumar Mishra, additional secretary, department of economic affairs, Ministry of Finance, New Delhi, Eric Zomawia, project director, Mizoram Health Systems Strengthening Project and Junaid Ahmad, country director, India, World Bank.

"While Mizoram performs better than the national average on many key health indicators, access to quality health services is a challenge, particularly in rural areas. The Covid-19 pandemic has also adversely impacted the delivery of essential health services,” said Junaid Ahmad. “This project will support the state government’s efforts to deliver quality healthcare for the poor and vulnerable and those located in remote areas.”

The $32 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a maturity of 14.5 years, including a grace period of 5 years.

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