The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country. The new phase of universalization of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from 21st June 2021. The vaccination drive has been ramped up through availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to States and UTs for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, Government of India has been supporting the States and UTs by providing them COVID Vaccines free of cost. In the new phase of the universalization of the COVID19 vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75% of the vaccines being produced by the vaccinemanufacturers in the country to States and UTs.
More than 74.25crore(74,25,94,875) vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far through Govt of India (free of cost channel) and through direct state procurement category.Further, more than1.8 Crore doses (1,80,83,000) are in the pipeline.
More than4.62Cr (4,62,75,955)balance and unutilized COVID Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered.
67.72 Cr. vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
42,618 new cases in the last 24 hours
Active cases account for 1.23% of total cases
India's Active caseload stands at 4,05,681
Recovery Rate currently at 97.43%
36,385 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to 3,21,00,001
Weekly Positivity Rate (2.63%) less than 3% for last 71 days
Daily positivity rate reported to be 2.50%
52.82 cr Total Tests conducted so far
Union Health Secretary Shri Rajesh Bhushan chaired a high-level review meeting today with 11 North East and Hill States and UTs: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand.
At the outset, the Health Secretary underlined that:
a) The States/UTs need to quickly saturate the first dose coverage among the 18+ population category.
b) States must also focus on the 60+ age group as the coverage of both the doses in this category is unsatisfactory in Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Meghalaya. The vulnerability of this age group to COVID-19 makes this exercise of prime importance.
c) The attention of the States was brought to the fact that the administration of the first dose has progressively outpaced the administration of second dose. It was suggested that States earmark doses, earmark days and target the completion of the exercise for these beneficiaries.
The details of State/UT-wise balance stock of 0.5 ml Syringes, Vaccination Coverage among Special Groups (Transgender Persons, Persons with Disabilities, PWI and Prisoners), COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among women particularly pregnant and lactating women was also discussed.
States/UTs were advised to closely monitor the stock from State Vaccine Stores to Cold Chain Point,check rational distribution and restrict vaccine wastage to below 2%, update data on eVIN (electronic vaccine intelligence network) on a daily basis, check supply of other denomination syringes as per availability (0.5 ml/ 1ml/ 2 ml/ 3ml Auto Disable/Re-use Prevention Syringes(RUP)/Disposable) for COVID vaccination.
Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare today interacted with State Health Ministers and Principal Secretaries/ Additional Chief Secretaries of all States/UTs in the presence of Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, to review the progress made in the fight against TB through focussed and concerted efforts of the Union Government and the States.
Health Ministers of States including Shri T.S. Singh Deo, Health Minister (Chhattisgarh), Shri Mangal Pandey, Health Minister (Bihar),Shri Anil Vij, Health Minister (Haryana), Shri Satyendra Kumar Jain, Health Minister (Delhi),Shri Rajesh Tope, Health Minister (Maharashtra), Shri Naba Kishore Das, Health Minister (Odisha), Shri Rajiv Saizal, Health Minister (Himachal Pradesh), Shri Banna Gupta, Health and Medical Education Minister (Jharkhand), Dr. K. Sudhakar, Minister of Medical Education (Karnataka),Smt. Veena George, Health Minister (Kerala), Shri Raghu Sharma, Health Minister (Rajasthan)attended the meet on behalf of their States.
The Union Health Minister expressed his elation at the convergence of focus to eliminate TB and suggested the continuance of regular interaction so that best practices of States/UTs may be discussed and taken up for emulation. These will strongly contribute tofocussed and effective implementation ofcommon policies and to achieve these goals collectively. “Coordinated and collaborative efforts will strongly contribute to achievement of shared goals faster”, the Union Health Minister stated.
He noted, “We have to encourage common people to join us in this mission for eradicating TB. It has to be made a people's initiative.”Shri Mandaviya assured that the Union government is open to all suggestions from the States/UTs on Tuberculosis in its mission to fulfil Prime Minister’s dream of a TB Free India by 2025. He also encouraged the States and UTs to provide suggestions on the Public Health Management of COVID and other programs and initiatives of the Union Health Ministry.
On the threat to the gains made against TB due to COVID-19, he spoke on the ramping up of COVID Vaccination in the recent days. Shri Mandaviya highlighted the importance of vaccinating all teachers by the 5th of September for which additional doses are being provided to the States. In this regard, he also suggested the States to initiate specific vaccine drives on particular days to vaccinate certain communities which are directly dealing with people, like vegetable vendors in markets or rickshaw pullers in a particular area. He assured all the State Health Ministers that the Centre remains in constant touch with the vaccine manufacturers as for resolving any possible bottleneck as vaccine production is increased month on month. He encouraged states to ensure that COVID protocols are continued to be followed and no laxity in shown due to improved situation in the country.
Invoking the framework of cooperative federalism, Dr. Pawar underscored the need to work together by multiplying our efforts to eliminate TB in the next three years. She appreciated the various steps taken during COVID Pandemic like bi-directional screening of TB and COVID and the doorstep delivery of TB drugs. She exhorted the entire team of health administers to undertake extensive active case finding and said, “Jan jan ko jagana hain, TB ko bhagana hain.”
All the States/UTs working with the TB program attending the eventcommunicated the impact of their work in the past few years and shared their plans to support themovement to eliminate TB by 2025.
Shri Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary, Ms. Arti Ahuja, Additional Secretary (Health), Dr. Manohar Agnani, Additional Secretary (Health), and other senior officials of the Ministry were also present at the event.
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Chemical and Fertilizer Shri. Mansukh Mandaviya today released the first commercial batch of COVAXIN from Chiron Behring Vaccines facility of Bharat Biotech in Ankleshwar, Gujarat. Shri C R Patil, MP, Navsari, Shri Ishwarsinh Patel, MLA, Ankleshwar, Shri. Dushyant Patel, MLA and Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Biotech were also present at the event.
Speaking at the inauguration, Shri. Mansukh Mandaviya said that due to the Hon'ble Prime Minister's vision, India was able to develop its first indigenous vaccine. He remarked that India is running one of the largest Vaccination programs in the world and it was made possible due to the development of these indigenous vaccines. The National Covid-19 Vaccination Programme has been successfully going on across all states and Union Territories since 16th January, 2021, he added
Dedicating the release of the first batch of COVAXIN from Ankleshwar facilities to the Nation, the Union Health Minister said that it is a landmark moment in the journey of India's fight against COVID-19. The increase in the production capacity of COVID-19 Vaccines would give further impetus to the pace of Vaccination in India. He added that it is a matter of great pride for us that the research and production of vaccines of two companies Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila took place in India. He also informed that the Ankleshwar plant has a manufacturing capacity of more than 1 crore doses per month starting today.
Talking about India's contribution to the fight against the global pandemic, he mentioned how India has always been on the forefront of helping other countries in need with essential medicines to deal with COVID situation.
Speaking of the status of COVAXIN production in India, the Union Minister informed that Bharat Biotech has already deployed multiple production lines at its Hyderabad, Malur, Bengaluru, and Pune campuses, and the addition of Chiron Behring, Ankleshwar will further augment its COVAXIN production capacity. A new filing facility constructed during 2020 is now being utilized for the production of COVAXIN. The COVAXIN production had begun in early June, before which the team had executed engineering batches to study the equipment functionality at the facility. Products manufactured from Ankleshwar facilities will be available for supplies starting September 2021, he added.
Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Biotech, said, “Our goal to develop a vaccine with global safety and efficacy standards has now been achieved, we are now marching towards the goal of annualized capacity of ~ 1.0 billion doses.”
Bharat Biotech is also exploring manufacturing partnerships with its partners in other countries, who have prior expertise with commercial scale manufacturing of inactivated viral vaccines under biosafety containment for further augmentation, he added.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in partnership with Serum Institute of India (SII) had conducted phase II/III bridging studies of COVISHIELD from August 2020. Phase III efficacy clinical trials for COVAXIN were also conducted by Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) from November 2020. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had received several requests from the trial participants for digital vaccination certificates through Co-WIN.
It was decided that vaccination certificates may be issued to such participants who were administered the vaccines during these trials/studies, after the trials/studies were unblinded. ICMR was designated by the Union Health Ministry as the nodal agency for collection of vaccination data for such participants. ICMR had provided the data for 11,349 such persons to the MoHFW. Digital vaccination certificates have now been issued through Co-WIN, to such persons who participated in these studies/trials of COVISHIELD and COVAXIN.
The participants would be able to download their individual certificates through Co-WIN Portal, Aarogya Setu, Digilocker or UMANG Application.
Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles Shri Piyush Goyal today conferred the National Intellectual Property Awards 2020 to the winners at an event. Dr GiridharAramane, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and other senior officials were also present at virtual event.
While addressing the award function, Shri Goyal congratulated all the winners & hoped that they would continue to do such exemplary work in future also. He said that these awards were truly inclusive with contributions from varied sectors i.e. from Academia to Start-ups.
The Minister said that today, technology & ideas are the twin engines of growth, IPR is the fuel that powers them and this award not only recognises the innovative ideas of individuals & institutions but also serves as an inspiration for others. He said there is need to bring an IP revolution for Inclusive Progress in the nation and strengthening IPR laws. He said it will boost job creation, quality, competitiveness & manufacturing.
The Minister said that powered by Intellectual Property, India can be the "Innovation Powerhouse" of the world. Shri Goyal said that Intellectual Property Rights actually translates into India’s progress in real-time and extend Intellectual Property Right to India’s Prosperity Right. He said, we must aim to make India the “Design hub of World”
Shri Goyal said that just like geographical boundaries guard our country’s interests, Intellectual Property is the guardian of our country’s prospects. Shri Goyal further added that Intellectual property is the cornerstone of nation’s progress & showcases ingenuity of our youth. It is the key for success of Start-up India, Make in India & Design in India. He said under Prime Minister’s guidance, India has taken giant strides in creating a robust IPR regime & an ecosystem to foster innovation.
Shri Goyal further said that IP has the power & potential to change lives & create livelihoods for billions. He said that today we recognise IP as one of the most valuable assets in India’s ability to compete in global economy. He said, our IP Rights must ensure whoever invents in India is not only protected but guaranteed to prosper .A strong IPR regime will empower the expansion & energize the industry in challenging times.
He said one major initiative in this direction has been – National IPR Policy for “Creative India, Innovative India”.
He said other key initiatives are Fee Concessions like 10% rebate on online filing, 80% fee concession for Start-ups & Small Entities. The Minister said that IPR filing procedures are now more compact, time-bound, user-friendly & compatible for e-transactions.He said that comprehensive e-Filing facility, Electronic processing of Patents & Trademarks applications, are bringing transparency & ease of access for those IPR seekers.
Addressing the event , Shri Goyal said the key achievements include
-Granting of 28,391 patents in 2020-21 as compared to 4,227 grants during 2013-14 (572% growth.
-Reduction in Time of patent examination from 72 months in Dec 2016 to 12-24 months in Dec 2020
-14.2 lakh trademark registrations in 4 years (2016-2020) in comparison to 11 lakh during 75 years (1940-2015).
Shri Goyal said we have improved India’s ranking in Global Innovation Index to 48th in 2020, (+33 ranks from 81st in 2015-16). The Minister said now, we must all work in a mission mode to achieve the ambitious target of being in the top 25 nations of Global Innovation Index.
In his concluding remarks, the Minister said that from Cars to Computers & from Sewing Machines to Spaceships, we must encourage all to design a better future for humanity. He said that we all need to contribute ideas in order to make our IP regime more proficient.
On this occasion, Shri Goyal made following announcements-
• 80% fee reduction filing for IPRs to all Recognized Educational Institution (Govt/Aided/Pvt) irrespective of whether such institute is in India or outside India.
• Total fee (Filing + publication + Renewal fee) for an Institute is ~Rs. 4,24,500/- now, this will be reduced to Rs. 84,900/ -, The fees among the top Patent Offices worldwide.
• Office of CGPDTM (IP office) will impart training & awareness to 10 Lakh students in this Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav (15th Aug, 2021 to 15 Aug, 2022).
Shri Goyal appreciated efforts & contribution of all Officers in IP Office for being trusted guardians of “Brain of India”. He urged all to aim higher to transform India into a magnet to attract best of talent, ideas & technology.
It may be noted, every year National Intellectual Property (IP) Awards are conferred by Office of Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to recognize and reward the top achievers, comprising individuals, institutions, organisations, enterprises, police units and other legal entities, for IP creation, commercialization and enforcement, which has contributed towards strengthening IP eco-system in the country and encouraging creativity and innovation.
The Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been working continuously and tirelessly to improve the production, supply and administration of Covid-19 vaccines. In an important initiative to ramp up the speed of vaccination, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), has approved one more lab for testing and lot release of Covid-19 vaccines.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has authorised National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) as Central Drug Laboratory (CDL) for testing and lot release of Covid-19 vaccines.
In order to discuss the various aspects of Covid-19 vaccination distribution in India, a meeting was organised under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary on November 11, 2020. In the meeting, the ministries and the departments like Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) were asked to indicate to the Health Ministry if any of their labs can be converted for being used as CDL.
After due deliberations, DBT proposed two laboratories namely NIAB and National Centre for Cell Sciences (NCCS), Pune for this purpose. Funds from Prime Minister Cares Fund Trust (PM-CARES) were allotted for upgradation of these two laboratories.
Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) had furnished a draft notification to the Union Health Ministry for notifying NIAB, Hyderabad as a CDL laboratory in response to which the Union Health Ministry has now notified NIAB, Hyderabad as a CDL laboratory.
It is pertinent to mention that NCCS, Pune has already been notified as a CDL laboratory on June 28, 2021 by MoHFW.
The notification of these two laboratories as CDL laboratories will improve vaccine production and will ultimately strengthen the vaccination campaign.
Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare discussed the Public Health Response to COVID-19 in Kerala with Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan and Health Minister of Kerala Ms Veena George today.
Union Health Secretary and Senior Health officials of the State were also present.
Shri Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted the proceeds of the meet in a thread.
The Central Govt has decided to allocate ₹267.35 crore to Kerala under Emergency COVID Response Package- II. This fund will strengthen the state’s health infrastructure & effectively manage #COVID19. Other than this, for each district of the State, ₹1 crore will be made available for creating a medicine pool.
The creation of a Center of Excellence that caters to Telemedicine Facilities in every district in Kerala was also envisaged with the support of the Union Government of India.
Paediatric ICUs along with 10 kilo-litre liquid oxygen storage tank facility at every district hospital which will prioritise the health of children in the Pandemic.
Under the visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi ji, the Central Government has assured all possible help to Kerala, including providing vaccines to the State.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provides technical and financial support to the States/UTs,for their health system strengthening,including that of Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and District Hospitals (DHs) through the National Health Mission (NHM). The States/UT Governments are also encouraged to meet the objective of making Health Care services equitable, accessible and affordable by increasing their health budgets each year.
In order to provide comprehensive primary health care, Government of India has launched Ayushman Bharat Scheme in 2018. As part of this scheme, 1.5 lakh Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs), are being set up across the country by upgrading Sub-Health Centres (SHCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) which provide preventive healthcare and health promotion at the community level, with continuum of care approach.
In addition to the above, through other schemes like Pradhan MantriSwasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) and Human Resources for Health and Medical Education (HRH&ME), effortsare being taken to improve the overall health sector of the country. PMSSY aims at setting up of new AIIMS like institutions and the upgradation of existing Government Medical colleges while through HRH-ME, improves access to tertiary care in underserved areas as well as aims at increasing the availability of health professionals.
For the containment and management of the pandemic, which includes support for augmentation of infrastructure, oxygen supported beds, isolation beds, ICUs & Human Resources, supply of drugs, etc. States/UTs are being supported under the “India COVID-19 Emergency Response & Health System Preparedness Package”. During the financial year 2020-21, Rs. 8147.28 crores has been released to States under this package. In addition, Rs.110.60 Crs has been made available for insurance of Health Care workers. Thus, a total amount of Rs.8257.88 Crs has been provisioned for the States/ UTs. Details are at Annexure-I.
The Cabinet has also approved the scheme, “India Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Package - Phase-II” (ECRP-Phase-II) on 8.07.2021 for an amount of Rs.23,123 crores. This Scheme is aimed at preventing, detecting and responding to the continuing threat posed by COVID-19 as well as for strengthening national health systems for preparedness in similar health emergencies in India.
Also, the Fifteenth Finance Commission has recommended grants aggregating to Rs.70, 051 Crores, over the period of five years (2021-2026) through local governments, for strengthening healthcare system at the primary health care level.
For better monitoring and improved quality of services, Government is implementing National Quality Assurance Programme (NQAS), Kayakalp award scheme and LaQshya initiatives. Details atAnnexure-III.
The “India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package” for Rs. 15,000 Crore (USD 2 billion) was approved by Cabinet on 22nd April 2020 to prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19.
The package is co-financed by the World Bank (WB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been implemented through MoHFW and its implementation agencies namely the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), National Health Mission (NHM), Central Procurement Division (CPD)&also through the Ministry of Railways (MoR).
Under the package, so far, a total of Rs.13719.22 Cr of committed expenditure has been reported by the implementation agencies. Rs.8147.29 Cr has been released to the States/UTs to prevent, detect, and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19.
Pursuant to the guidance on the management of the COVID-19 patients, dedicated facilities have been set up by the States for the management of the COVID-19 patients. Since April 2020 exponential growth has been made in the establishment of Health infrastructure. As of 30th June 2021, the national progress made is as follows:
Category I. COVID dedicated hospitals increased from 163 to 4389 – a 27-fold increase.
Category II. Dedicated COVID health centres increased from 0 to 8340.
Category III. Dedicated COVID Centre increased from 0 to 10,015.
Oxygen supported beds increased from 50,583 to 4, 16,947 – a 8-fold increase in beds.
Total isolation beds (excluding ICU beds) increased from 41,000 to 1,811,850 – 44-fold increase.
Total ICU beds increased from 2,500 to more than 121,671 beds – a 48-fold increase.
2.2 million health workers including ASHAs are insured to fight COVID-19.
Additional HR deployed in States/ UTs: Specialists - 3720, Medical Officers - 7030, Staff Nurses – 36,303.
Phenomenal progress in Testing: The testing capacity i.e., of 30,000 per day from April 2020 has been increased to more than 20.60 lakhs samples per day. Cumulatively, over 41.40 Crore tests for COVID-19 through 2734 testing labs in the country (1288 government laboratories and 1446 private laboratories), have been conducted and the daily testing capacity has got a substantial boost.
ICMR has also supplied 85 RT-PCR machines, 125 automated RNA extraction machines, 4 COBAS machines to the States/UTs to strengthen the testing capacity for COVID. MoHFW has also provided in-kind support to the states by procuring and distributing 4.23Crore - N95 masks, 1.77 crore - PPE kits, 11.16 Crore - HCQ tablets, 48,232 - Ventilators, 14,000 10ltr Oxygen Concentrators, 102,400 - Oxygen cylinders, 1,00,000 - SARS COV2 cartridges, 12 lakhs - COVID-19 PCR chip, 1.0 Crore – Remdesivir injections (as on 17th June 2021). Ministry of Railways also converted 5601 train coaches into COVID Care Centers and are being deployed as per demand by State Government. Testing capacity for COVID-19 for Railways was also augmented by the addition of 5 RTPCR Machines (including Truenat Machines).
The “India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package”: Phase II for Rs.23,123 Crore was approved by Cabinet on 8th July 2021 and is being implemented from 1st July 2021 to 31" March 2022 with an aim to strengthening district and sub district capacity for an effective and rapid response to the pandemic. Central Sector components of proposed package (ECRP-II) will flow through existing mechanism of Central Procurement Division (CPD), Pradhan MantriSwasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), NCDC, Central Hospitals and Public Health Division and Allied Health Services division of the MoHFW.
The Central Sponsored components will flow through the existing NHM Framework to leverage the existing implementation framework, already approved by the Union Cabinet, for executing the proposed activities and to avoid any duplication.
The Central Sector componentsare proposed to be implemented by Departments, Agencies and Programme Divisions of the MoHFW. Components of this support are as under: Support to Central Hospitals, AIIMS, and other institutions of national importance for COVID-19 management: Support is provisioned to provide quality Carefor about 6,688 repurposed beds for COVID at Central Hospitals under the Ministry and various All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), including AIIMS, New Delhi.
Support for strengthening War Room and IT Interventions including for COVID-19 vaccination: These activities encompass strengthening the Central War room, IT systems including COVID-19 Portal and eSanjeevani Tele-consultation platform,1075 COVID-19 help line, Cloud telephony and Call Centres, implementation of Hospital Management Information System in all Districts Hospitals of the country, strengthening COWIN platform, etc.
Support for strengthening NCDC for surveillance activities including for the Genome Sequencing related work: Support is provisioned forGenome sequencing, understanding the emergence, evolution and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus as well as identifying vaccine and drug targets, strengthening surveillance activities and provision of equipment for Genome Sequencing at NCDC, duly setting up the secretariat of India Genome Consortium, ieINSACOG in the package.
Support surveillance at 28 Points of Entry: Under this component, Surveillance at 16 International Airports, 11 Sea-Ports and one Land Border Crossing will be strengthened through Biosafety equipment, IT equipment and testing facilities.
Support to Centralized Procurement of essential drugs and supplies: Provision is made for the Centralized procurement of essential drugs and emerging drugs for COVID management. These Central Sponsored components include support to State/UT level through NHM Framework with a State Share as is applicable in NHM. Components of this support are as under: Establishing Paediatric Care units in all the Districts of the Country under the technical guidance and mentorship of State level Paediatric Centre of Excellence.
Augmenting additional beds at the facilities including those in rural, tribal and peri-urban areas closer to the community.
Augmenting ICU beds capacity of the country and establishing Field Hospitals and support for additional fleet for Referral Transport.
Support to enhance the availability of medical Oxygen in public healthcare system by providing Liquid Medical Oxygen Storage Tanks along with Medical Gas Pipeline System (MGPS) (at least one per district).
Supporting the States to utilize the UG and PG Residents, Final Year MBBS, BSc and GNM Nursing students for effective COVID-19 management.
Support to States for ensuring availability of essential drugs including a buffer stock of drugs for COVID19 management.
Support for procurement of Diagnostics to Strengthening district level laboratories for RT-PCR testing and Diagnostic Tests for COVID19 at sub district levels.
Infrastructure support to States Implementation of Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) ie, e-Hospital and e-Sushrut in all District Hospitals
Strengthening Hubs for Tele-consultation in all the Districts of the Country and establishing Spokes for Tele Consultation at COVID Care Centres
Support for Capacity Building and Training for all aspects of management of COVID-19.
NQAS: Quality and delivery healthcare service is crucial in improving the health status of the population. It is aimed at enhancing accessibility, increasing efficiency, strengthening clinical effectiveness and improving user satisfaction. The NQAS is accredited by ISQua (International Society for Quality and healthcare), and these standards are also recognised by IRDA (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority) and NHA (National Health Authority). Till 31st March 2021, cumulatively 3544 public health facilities achieved Quality Certification (813 nationally certified and 2731 health facilities certified at State level).
LaQshya: For ensuring quality and safety in ‘care bound birth’ LaQshya initiative was launched in 2017. Total 2,805 facilities are selected under LaQshya initiatives (including 193 Medical Colleges). Since Inception (till 31st March 2021), 765 Labour Rooms & 652 Maternity Operation Theatres are State LaQshya certified and 322 Labour Rooms & 271 Maternity Operation Theatres are National Laqshya certified
Kayakalp: For controlling hospital acquired infection by promoting practice of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation, the Kayakalp award scheme is being implemented since 2015 for central Government institutions and State Public Health Facilities. Total 9815 health facilities (347 DHs, 1926 SDHs/CHCs, 4761 PHCs, 1025 UPHCs, 1756 HWCs) in Twenty- One States (Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Daman Diu &Dadar Nagar Haweli, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, and Tripura) have been awarded so far.
The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Dr Bharti Pravin Pawar stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.