THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: State’s Covid-19 containment activities are set to get further strengthened with the financial support from the Centre through the newly launched India Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package. The assistance, provided through the National Health Mission (NHM) programme, have to be utilised for the development of dedicated Covid-19 hospitals, isolation blocks, procurement of personal protective equipment, N95 masks, strengthening of identified laboratories and expansion of diagnostic capacities and others.
“The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday informed state health principal secretary Rajan Khobragade and NHM state mission director Ratan Khelkar about such an assistance. The project is 100% funded by the Centre and will get implemented in three phases, stretched between January 2020 and March 2024,” said a health department officer.
“Other than the listed subjects, the fund could be used for procurement of diagnostic equipment, testing kits and other reagents and mobility support for sample transport, training and orientation of healthcare workers, outreach, survey and community surveillance activities and others,” he said. The fund could be used for disinfecting hospitals, government offices, public utilities and ambulances.