World Bank approves $286 million loan to improve quality healthcare in Bengal

New Delhi: The World Bank has approved financing for a program to improve the quality of life and life expectancy in West Bengal through wider, more equitable access to quality healthcare. The West Bengal Health System Reform Program Operation, with a USD 286 million loan, will support the delivery of personalised healthcare services across the state for people aged 30 and above through digital tracking of 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 health outcome measurement, and enhance healthcare facilities' resilience to extreme weather events. The Program will also support strengthening gender-based violence (GBV) services, including targeted interventions for boys, married adolescents, and healthcare providers. In the five districts of Purulia, Birbhum, Murshidabad, Maldah and Uttar Dinajpur, the Program will improve access to quality healthcare services and reduce inequities in maternal and adolescent health.

The World Bank said West Bengal has made sustained health gains in the past two decades with infant mortality rates declining from 32 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2010-2012 to 19 in 2018-2020. The total fertility rate was 1.64 births per woman in 2019, among the lowest in the country. As a result, life expectancy in West Bengal is 72 years, which is higher than the national average. However, in spite of these gains and high literacy rates among adolescent girls (at 89 per cent), West Bengal has the second-highest rate of adolescent pregnancies in India at 16 per cent, which also drives the maternal mortality ratio at 103 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018-2020. The districts of Purulia, Birbhum, Murshidabad, Maldah and Uttar Dinajpur face critical challenges in reproductive, maternal, and adolescent care. "This Program will help West Bengal deliver more equitable and higher-quality health services, with measurable results for women, adolescents, and people living with non-communicable diseases," said Paul Procee, the World Bank's Acting Country Director for India. "By linking financing to verified outcomes and strengthening governance and climate resilience, the operation addresses both service gaps and systemic constraints that have held back health gains for vulnerable communities. This will have a direct impact on the ability to seek good jobs." "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 program. "The program'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." The USD 286 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a final maturity of 16.5 years, including a three-year grace period.