Lok Sabha Question No. 859 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-23
Subject: Strengthening of Healthcare Infrastructure
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Hema Malini

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

LOK SABHA U NSTARRED QUESTION NO. 859 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23 RD JULY, 2021

## STRENGTHENING OF HEA LTHCARE INFRASTRUCTU RE

## 859. SHRIMATI HEMA M ALINI:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WE LFARE be pleased to state:

(a) whether the healthcare infrastructure is required to be st ngthened in the country in view of thechallenges faced during COVID - 19 pandemic and if so, the reaction of the Government and necessary steps being taken in this regard;

(b)  whether  the  Government  has  recently  announced Rs.  50,000  crore  to  boost  healthcare infrastructure and if so, the details thereof;

- (c) whether any action plan has been formulated for utilizing the said fun d; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

(DR . BHARATI PRAVIN PAW AR )

(a) Health is a state subject, Government of India has provided the required technical support and has  also  supported  the  states  through  logistic  and  financial  support  to  further  stren existing health infrastructure.

Some of the ongoing initiatives to further strengthen healthcare infrastructure include:

- With the intent to reduce the risk of cross infection to non - COVID  patients  as  well  as  to maintain  continuity  of  non - COVID  essential  health  services  in  the  country,  a  three - tier arrangement of dedicated COVID - 19  health  fa cilities [(i) COVID Care Center (CCC); (ii) Dedicated COVID Health Centre (DCHC) and (iii) Dedicated COVID Hospital (DCH)] has been implemented in the country.
- Government of India, to supplement the hospital facilities has roped in tertiary care under ESIC, Defence, Railways, paramilitary forces, Steel Ministry etc. Further, many temporary  treatment  facilities  were  established  by  DRDO  to  manage  surge  in  COVID - 19 cases in the country.
- Due to concerted actions of Central and State Governments , the isolation bed capacity and ICU bed capacity which was only 10,180 and 2,168 before the first lockdown (as on 2 rd

March 2020) in being enhanced continuously and is currently at 18,21,845 isolation bed 1,22,035 ICU beds (as on 20 th July 2021).

- The daily liquid medical oxygen (LMO) production, which was about 5700 MTs per day in August  2020  increased  to  a  high  of  9690  MTs  as  on  13  May  2021.  This  was  done  by enhancement of LMO production in steel plants as well as in other LMO plants.
- Restrictions were imposed on industrial use of oxygen.
- A dynamic and transparent framework for allocation of medical oxygen in consultation States/UTs and all the stakeholders such as relevant Ministries, manufacturers/suppl liquid oxygen etc. was prepare d.
- Online  digital  solutions  viz.  Oxygen  Demand  Aggregation  system  (ODAS)  and  Oxygen Digital Tracking System (ODTS) have been developed to ascertain the demand for medica oxygen from all medical facilities and to track their transportation.
- To avoid wast age of medical oxygen, guidelines on rational use of oxygen were issued 25 th September 2020, and further revised and disseminated to States on 25 th April 2021.
- 1,02,400 oxygen cylinders were procured in April and May of 2020 and distributed to St Further orders for additional 1,27,000 cylinders have been placed on 21 st April 2021, (54,000 jumbo cylinders (D type) and 73,000 regular cylinders (B type). Deliveries of the same started and 24,207 (24,511 B - type and 8,893 D - type) cylinders have been delivered as on 7 th July 2021. In addition, around 4962 B - type and 1895 D - type cylinders are in - tra sit.
- To generate oxygen at the health facility level, PSA plants are being established in h especially in far flung areas enabling the hospitals t o become self - sufficient in generation of oxygen for their needs and thereby, reduce the burden on the medical oxygen supply across the country.
- Further, to fast - track the availability of Medical Oxygen in rural and peri - urban areas, more than 18,000 Oxygen Concentrators have been allocated to various States.
- A  COVID  Drugs  Management  Cell  (CDMC)  has  been  set  up  in  the  Department  of Pharmaceuticals  (DoP)  to  oversee  the  management  of  smooth  supply  of  drugs  used  i COVID - 19 management.
- A Drugs Coordinat ion Committee (DCC) has been constituted as an institutional mechanism under Department of Pharmaceuticals for efficient decision making on all the issues respect  to  COVID - 19  related  drugs  including  availability  through  inter - departmental consultation s.
- Remdesivir is a patented drug, manufactured in India under voluntary licenses grant Gilead  Life  Sciences  USA  (the  patent  holder)  to  7  Indian  pharmaceutical  compani Manufacturing capacity was augmented from 38 lakh vials per month to nearly 122 l akh vials per month. In addition, 40 additional manufacturing sites were approved by the CDSCO, t increasing the manufacturing sites from 22 to 62.
- All States/UT and State Drugs Controllers have been requested to verify stock of the and check other malpractices and take effective steps to curb hoarding and black market of Remdesivir.
- 'Advisory for Rational use of Remdesivir for COVID -19 Treatment' was issued by MoHFW on 7 th June 2021, for managing COVID - 19 patients under Emergency Use Authorizat ion for a select sub -group of patients only.

Further, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare continues to provide technical guida for managing various aspects of COVID - 19. So far more than 150 guidelines/advisories/SoPs/plans have been provided to States/U Ts.

- Taking note of ingress of COVID - 19  pandemic  in  peri - urban  and  rural  areas,  Ministry  of Health & Family Welfare on 16 th May 2021 issued an SOP on COVID - 19 Containment & Management in Peri - urban, Rural & Tribal areas.
- Guidelines for management of COVID - 19 in children has been issued on 18 th June 2021.

(b)to  (d) Union  Health  Ministry  has  approved  'India  COVID19  Emergency  Response  and Health  System  Preparedness  package'  and  Rs  15,000  Cr  was  provided  under  the  package  in April 2020 with an objective to prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by COVID - 19.

In addition,  'India  COVID - 19  Emergency  Response  &  Health  System  Preparedness Package:  Phase -II'  has  also  been  approved  by  the  Cabinet  with  Rs  23,123  crores  (with  Rs. 15,000 Cr as Central Component & Rs 8,123 as State component) and is to be implemented fr 1st July 2021 to 31" March 2022.

It includes support to State/UT level for ramping up Health Infrastructure includin in rural, tribal and peri - urban areas closer to the community, providing support for procuremen of  drugs  and  diagnostics  to  enhance service  delivery  at  district  and  sub  district  levels management of COVID-19 cases (including pediatric care) and for maintaining a buffer of dr support  for  IT  Interventions  such  as  implementation  of  Hospital  Management  Informati System  and  expan ding  access  to  tele - consultations  in  all  districts,  and  support  for  capaci building and training for all aspects of management of COVID - 19.