The Local Self-Government department has issued orders sanctioning ₹558.97 crore, which is the health grant for local bodies for 2022-23, as recommended by the 15th Finance Commission.
The grant has been allowed under several heads, including construction of new building for those health institutions which do not have its own building; assistance for block-level public health centres; diagnostic facilities; health and wellness activities in all family health centres and people’s health centres; diagnostic facilities for family health centres; and people’s health centres in urban areas; and urban health and wellness centres.
A lot of development initiatives can be taken up in the health sector with the cooperation of local bodies, Health Minister Veena George said in a statement here on Friday.
Apart from the Health department’s own funds, the additional input as the health grant allocated to local bodies will help the government create more facilities in hospitals and provide better health-care delivery to people, the statement said.
For the construction of new hospital buildings, funds will be allocated spread out over three years. Accordingly, 513 people’s health centres will get ₹55.5 lakh each; 13 family health centres ₹1.43 crore each, and five community health centres ₹5.75 crore each.
For 2022-23, people’s health centres are to be allocated ₹27.5 crore, family health centres ₹35.75 lakh, and community health centres ₹1.15 crore.
A sum of ₹27.57 lakh each has been allocated to 77 block panchayats for starting new block-level public health units. Using this fund, block health units and block-level public health labs have been proposed.
A total of ₹89.18 crore will be allocated to 941 grama panchayats for setting up diagnostic facilities in health-care institutions in these grama panchayats. Facilities will be created so that 14 types of diagnostic tests will be made available through the people’s health centres, while 64 types of tests will be made available through family health centres and other hospitals.
A total of ₹37.20 crore has been allocated for health and wellness centre activities in the people’s health centres in 941 grama panchayats and family health centres . These funds are being earmarked for infectious diseases control measures, lifestyle diseases management, maternal and child health initiatives, follow-up care activities for patients, people’s health club activities, and awareness creation and training programmes utilising new information technologies.
Also, ₹43.84 crore has been allowed to 93 urban administrations for creating diagnostic facilities in the family health centres, people’s health centres and other hospitals.
