Mizoram to Sign USD 108 Million ADB Loan Pact to Strengthen Public Healthcare

 Mizoram is set to sign a USD 108 million loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support and strengthen its public healthcare system, Health and Family Welfare Minister Lalrinpuii said on Tuesday.

The loan, approved earlier this month, is part of the ADB-funded project titled ‘Supporting Public Healthcare System Strengthening to Achieve Universal Healthcare for Mizoram’.

The agreement will be formalised once the Ministry of Finance finalises a date for signing, the minister said at a press conference here.

Lalrinpuii said the financial burden on the state would be limited, as 90 per cent of the loan amount would be repaid by the Centre, while the Mizoram government would bear the remaining 10 per cent over a repayment period of 15 years.

She said this arrangement would substantially ease the state’s expenditure on implementing the Mizoram Universal Health Care Scheme (MUHCS).

Once the agreement is signed, an initial amount of Rs 21 crore is expected to be released within a month, in line with the Disbursement Linked Indicator mechanism, she added.

The MUHCS was launched by the Zoram People’s Movement government led by Chief Minister Lalduhoma in March this year and became operational in April.

The scheme provides health insurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per financial year for cashless treatment at government hospitals as well as empanelled private and church-run hospitals.

Mizoram Health Care Society chief executive officer Lalhriatzuali Ralte said that 65,193 families have registered under the scheme so far in the current fiscal year. These include 36,323 families of government employees and 8,733 families of civil pensioners.

She said that more than 2.20 lakh families already registered under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana are also eligible to avail benefits under MUHCS.

According to Lalrinpuii, 59,602 beneficiaries have availed treatment under the scheme till date, with healthcare expenditure crossing Rs 100 crore.

She said around 68.56 per cent of patients received treatment at state-run hospitals, which accounted for 43.47 per cent of the total expenditure incurred under the scheme.

The minister said the government is simultaneously working to strengthen healthcare infrastructure and manpower across the state. Zoram Medical College and Hospital, Mizoram’s only medical college, has been upgraded to 520 beds with the addition of 40 cabins.

She said the number of intensive care units at the facility has also been increased from 13 to 26.

Aizawl Civil Hospital, the largest government hospital in the state, is being further upgraded under the Aizawl Smart City project, with several new facilities being added, she said.

Lalrinpuii also said kidney transplant services will soon begin at Aizawl Civil Hospital. An operation theatre for the procedure has already been completed, and nephrologists along with other healthcare personnel are scheduled to undergo specialised training at a hospital in Kolkata in January next year.

After the training, kidney transplant procedures will be initiated at the civil hospital, she added.