Centre releases Rs.8,453.92 cr as health sector grant for rural and urban local bodies of 19 states

The department of expenditure under the finance ministry has released these grants as per the recommendations of the Fifteenth Finance Commission, a finance ministry statement said Saturday.

Health grants to the remaining nine states will be released after their proposals are received from the respective states through the ministry of health and family welfare, it added.

The Fifteenth Finance Commission (FC-XV) in its Report for the period from 2021-22 to 2025-26 had recommended a total grant of Rs.4,27,911 crore to local governments.

The grants recommended by the Commission included health grants of Rs.70,051 crore and out of this amount, Rs.43,928 crore for rural local bodies and Rs.26,123 crore for urban local bodies.

These grants are meant to strengthen health systems and plug the critical gaps in the health care system at the primary health care level.

The Commission also identified interventions that will directly lead to strengthening the primary health infrastructure and facilities in both rural and urban areas and has earmarked grants for each intervention.

These interventions include support for diagnostic infrastructure to the primary healthcare facilities in rural areas, block level public health units in rural areas, construction of buildings of building-less sub centres, public health centres and child health centres in rural areas and their conversion into health and wellness centres.

“Rural and urban local bodies can play a key role in the delivery of primary health care services especially at the ‘cutting edge’ level and help in achieving the objective of Universal Health Care,” it said, adding that strengthening the local governments in terms of resources, health infrastructure and capacity building can enable them to play a catalytic role in epidemics and pandemics.

The statement said involving Panchayati Raj institutions and Urban Local Government as supervising agencies in these primary health care institutions would strengthen the overall primary health care system and involvement of local governments would also make the health system accountable to the people.