State to get Rs 1,140 crore from NRHM

The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), a ministry of health and family welfare wing, would release about Rs 1,140 crore for the state shortly. This would be used to strengthen the health delivery mechanisms in the rural areas, according to health and family welfare secretary PV Ramesh.

Speaking to the media on Monday, he said the government had initiated several reforms in the health sector for improving access to healthcare facilities to the poor.

He said the state government had successfully implemented the AP Health Sector Reforms Programme that was supported by UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), which gave a grant of 40 million pound.

Ramesh said the government used these funds over a three-year period for proving access to responsive services in underserved areas, governance and human resource management, and bringing in institutional mechanisms for community participation and strengthening financial management system.

Lipika Nanda, representing DFID India, said the DFID would support similar health reform programmes in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar. The grant-in-aid to each of these states will be between 40 million to 80 million pound. Andhra Pradesh will be the role model for these states, she said.