FM Nirmala Sitharaman Announcement on Public Health: On Monday, while addressing the media at the , Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made an announcement of Rs 23,220 crore more for Public Health. The Finance Minister has also made announcements of certain other initiatives and schemes that will be undertaken. In times of this COVID-19 pandemic, allocation in the health sector will lead to dedicated COVID infrastructure to combat the pandemic.

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The FM said that Rs 15000 crore Emergency Health Systems Project (2020-21) led to 25-fold increase in COVID dedicated hospitals, setting up 7,929 COVID-19 health centres, 9,954 COVID care centres. It has also further led to the increase in 7.5 times of oxygen supported beds, 42-fold increase in isolation beds and 45-fold increase in ICU beds, she added.

The focus areas of the new scheme for Public Health are as follows:

1) The new scheme is focused on short term emergency preparedness with special emphasis on children and paediatric care/ paediatric beds

2) Rs 23,2200 crore has been earmarked for one year

3) The funding for short-term HR augmentation through medical students (interns, residents, final year) and nursing students

4) Increase in the availability of ICU beds, supply of oxygen at central, district and sub-district level

5) To ensure the adequate availability of equipment, medicines, access to tele-consultation, ambulance services

6) To enhance testing capacity and supportive diagnostics and strengthen the capacity for surveillance and genome sequencing

At the press briefing, the Finance Minister eight relief measures. The announcement came in the midst of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.