New Delhi: As Kerala is still struggling with fresh Covid-19 cases, the Union Health Ministry on Monday allocated Rs 267.35 crore to the state to strengthen its health infrastructure.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who arrived in Kerala with a central team on Monday to review the Covid-19 situation in the state, said that the Centre will provide it more vaccines to combat the pandemic.
In a tweet, subsequent to his "intensive" meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and state Health Minister Veena George, Mandaviya said that besides the Rs 267.35 crore an additional Rs one crore would be made available to each district of Kerala for creating a medicine pool.
The Union Health Minister also said that the central government has assured all possible help to Kerala, including providing vaccines to the state. "Had an intensive meeting with the Chief Minister and Health Minister of Kerala, Vijayan Pinarayi and Veena George, along with state officials to review the Covid-19 situation in Kerala," he said in a tweet.
"Central government allocates Rs 267.35 crore to Kerala under Emergency COVID Response Package- II. It will strengthen the state's health infrastructure and effectively manage Covid-19. Additionally, Rs one crore will be made available to each district of Kerala for creating a medicine pool," he tweeted.
Mandaviya further said in his tweet that the "Centre will ensure the creation of a Center of Excellence that caters to telemedicine facilities in every district in Kerala.
"For prioritising the health of children, paediatric ICU to be established in district hospitals with a 10 kilo-litre liquid oxygen storage tank facility," he said.
Mandaviya and the central team visited Kerala at a time when it was accounting for more than half of the nation's daily fresh infection caseload. Kerala on Sunday reported 18,582 new Covid-19 cases, which was more than half of the national total of 32,937 fresh coronavirus cases.