The World Bank on Monday approved $391 million in financing to improve access to quality healthcare services and economic opportunities for people in Assam and Tripura.
The Assam State Secondary Healthcare Initiative for Service Delivery Transformation (ASSIST) Project, for which US$251 million has been approved, will improve access to quality secondary healthcare services in Assam and directly serve at least 1.8 million people, the World Bank said in a press release. . The global financial institution said the project will increase access to comprehensive obstetric and newborn care services and improve the treatment and management of non-communicable diseases. The project will also upgrade up to ten lower level facilities to district hospitals in essential districts and strengthen the capacity of nurses and healthcare managers for better service delivery.
“Assam has made progress in increasing access to essential health care services: 87 percent of women today give birth in facilities, compared to just 24 percent in 2005. “But the rise in non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes poses a double burden on the state’s healthcare system,” said team leaders Amith Nagaraj and Elina Pradhan. “This project will improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare in the state and can potentially serve as a model for healthcare innovations for the northeastern region of India and beyond.”
US$140 million has been approved for the Tripura Rural Economic Growth and Service Delivery Project, with the aim of promoting socio-economic development and improving the quality of life of 142,000 households in selected tribal blocks, areas where tribal communities live and work. More than 400 kilometers of rural roads will be upgraded to all-weather roads, giving farmers and communities living in hilly and forested areas better access to markets.
The World Bank said around 75,000 households will have better livelihoods thanks to climate-smart agriculture that will help produce fruits and vegetables. The project will also invest in learning outcomes for secondary school students by increasing enrollment for boys and improving teacher skills. “The investments made under this project will play an important role in diversifying local economies, generating new jobs and skills, and directly contributing to human capital development, while also reducing vulnerability to the impacts of climate change is reduced,” said team leaders Priti Kumar, Anna O’ Donnell and Tesfamichael Nahusenay. These loans for two of the northeastern Indian states came from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) with a term of 10.5 years, including a five-year grace period.
