The World Bank’s Executive Board of Directors has approved a $350 million loan to Gujarat to improve the quality and access of its public healthcare services, with special focus on adolescent girls and disease surveillance.

The Systems Reform Endeavours For Transformed Health Achievement In Gujarat (SRESTHA-G) Program will enable more people access a wider range of high-quality health services.

Currently, the state is delivering seven health services to its citizens including reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health, communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The Programme will further expand these to include mental health and elderly and palliative health services and also strengthen non-communicable services in the state.

The Programme will support a population-based screening process with help from local Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM), and people at high risk for non-communicable or other diseases will be encouraged to go to their assigned public healthcare provider.

It will also help the state develop surveillance systems for early detection of disease outbreaks. It will spearhead the “one health” agenda including combating anti-microbial resistance.