After new Cabinet’s 1st meet, Health Minister announces ₹23,000 crore Covid-19 package

July 9: After taking charge of the Health Ministry on Thursday, Mansukh Mandaviya announced that the Union Cabinet has approved ‘COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Package Phase II’ at a cost of ₹23,123 crore to fight coronavirus. The package will be implemented within nine months, from July to March, next year, Mandaviya said. “The maximum deadline is of 9 months. We can do this even before the deadline according to the situation,” the health minister said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new Cabinet met on Thursday and took a slew of measures regarding the health infrastructure of the country, amid the ongoing 2nd phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. In April 2020, the Cabinet had approved ₹15,000 crore package for Covid-19 emergency response, which was utilised to the maximum to upgrade the health infrastructure of the country, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said.

All state governments will be consulted to chart out a future roadmap so that oxygen, beds, crucial medicines do not pose a challenge in front of the country. Out of this ₹23,000 crore, the Centre will give ₹15,000 crore and the state will give ₹8,000 crore, the minister said.

The new health minister mentioned child health care as he announced the new package which includes provision for 20,000 new ICU beds. About 20 per cent of it will be meant for children or be used for a hybrid purpose — for both children and adults, the minister said. The package also has the provision for 736 district paediatric care units. The announcement comes amid apprehension that Covid 3rd wave, if it comes in India, might impact children.