The Hindu Business Line : AP seeks £100-m DFID grant for health sector

THE State Government has made out a case for a £100-million (about Rs 780 crore) grant from the Department for International Development (DFID), UK, to support and reform the health sector in the State.

In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajashekhara Reddy, has requested the former to advise the Health and Family Welfare Ministry and Department of Economic Affairs to urgently recommend to DFID a support of approximately £100 million.

Dr Reddy said that the State Government would like to work with the Centre and other development partners such as the DFID, World Bank and WHO to strengthen the healthcare sector in the State. As a part of this move, the State has prepared a project report of about £100 million required over the next five years. This has been submitted to the Centre for consideration in January this year.

The project report is under active consideration of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and would later be taken up for appraisal by the Department of Economic Affairs. The State had earlier carried out an extensive analytical medium-term strategy and expenditure framework and this augurs well for the State finances.

With this funding, Dr Reddy said that it would be possible to move quickly on its reform agenda if the Centre and State negotiate in a time-bound programme.

The Chief Minister said during the last few years, Andhra Pradesh has made significant improvement in health sector and additional resources are required to take up the reform process in a channelled manner to meet the Millennium Development goals.

The new reform programme would focus on identifying gaps in the implementation of existing programmes, improve efficiency of the system as a whole by involving the community and civil society as active partners in enhancing the public health system. Areas of concern such as child and maternal health care, HIV/AIDS and diseases such as TB, malaria, dengue would be tackled.

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