Within a month of Union State Minister Parshottam Rupala launching NCDC’s ambitious plan aimed at revitalizing rural healthcare, Sundeep Nayak its MD signed an MoU with Dr Nitin Nagarkar, Director, AIIMS Raipur today on Saturday.
Ayushman Sahakar, a unique scheme to assist cooperatives play an important role in creation of healthcare infrastructure in the country, aims to offer healthcare to millions of farmers in the countryside.
Under the scheme NCDC would extend term loans to prospective cooperatives to the tune of Rs.10,000 Crore in the coming years. The ongoing pandemic has brought into focus the requirement of creation of more facilities. NCDC’s scheme will be a step towards strengthening farmers welfare activities by the Central Government.
Dr Nagarkar said Ayushman Sahakar scheme could revolutionize healthcare delivery outreach in rural areas. “AIIMS Raipur would extend all technical and capacity development support under the MoU”, added Dr Nagarkar.
Dr SP Dhaneria, Dean AIIMS Raipur emphasised the need for equipping personnel in rural areas with lab diagnostics, paramedic and nursing skills to create business opportunities in healthcare services delivery for farmers and general population.
Cooperative institutions are expected to take up healthcare services as an activity for farmers.
Nayak added that there are about 52 hospitals across the country run by cooperatives. They have cumulative bed strength of more than 5,000. The NCDC fund would give a boost to provision of healthcare services by cooperatives, Nayak underlined.
It bears that NCDC’s scheme aligns itself with the focus of the National Health Policy, 2017, covering the health systems in all their dimensions- investments in health, organization of healthcare services, access to technologies, development of human resources, encouragement of medical pluralism, affordable health care to farmers etc.
It has a comprehensive approach-hospitals, healthcare, medical education, nursing education, paramedical education, health insurance and holistic health systems such as AYUSH. Ayushman Sahakar scheme fund would also assist cooperative hospitals take up medical and Ayush education.
Any Cooperative Society with suitable provision in its byelaws to undertake healthcare related activities would be able to access the NCDC fund. NCDC assistance will flow either through the State Governments/ UT Administrations or directly to the eligible cooperatives. Subsidy/ grant from other sources can be dovetailed.
Ayushman Sahakar specifically covers establishment, modernization, expansion, repairs, renovation of hospitals and healthcare and education infrastructure. The scheme also provides working capital and margin money to meet operational requirements. The scheme provides interest subvention of one percent to women majority cooperatives.
