World Bank approves $286 M for accessible and quality healthcare in West Bengal

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved financing for a programme to improve the quality of life and life expectancy for more than 90 million people in West Bengal through wider and more equitable access to quality healthcare.

The West Bengal Health System Reform Program Operation ($286 million) will support delivery of personalised healthcare services across the state for people over 30 years through digital tracking measures for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and diabetes. It will also bring a patient-centric care approach to the state’s health systems, improve measurement of health outcomes, and boost the resilience of healthcare facilities to extreme weather events.

The Programme will improve access to quality healthcare services and reduce inequities in maternal and adolescent health.

“Strengthening the continuum of care at the primary level through measures like control of hypertension and diabetes is central to bending the NCD curve,” said Rahul Pandey and Meghna Sharma, the Task Team Leaders of the programme. “The programme’s focus on quality-of-care interventions and mechanisms to respond to gender-based violence are vital to improving health outcomes and trust in the healthcare system.”