Washington : The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved financing for a $286 million program to enhance healthcare access and improve life expectancy for over 90 million people in West Bengal, India. The initiative aims to deliver more equitable and higher-quality health services across the state.
Health Gains and Ongoing Challenges
West Bengal has achieved notable health improvements over the past two decades, with infant mortality declining from 32 per 1,000 live births in 2010–2012 to 19 in 2018–2020. Life expectancy stands at 72 years, higher than the national average, and literacy among adolescent girls is at 89 percent. Despite this, adolescent pregnancies remain the second-highest in India at 16 percent, driving a maternal mortality ratio of 103 per 100,000 live births.
Focus on Vulnerable Districts
The program will prioritize districts facing critical challenges in reproductive, maternal, and adolescent care, including Purulia, Birbhum, Murshidabad, Maldah, and Uttar Dinajpur. Targeted interventions will aim to reduce health inequities and improve access to quality services for women and adolescents.
Program Objectives
“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, World Bank Acting Country Director for India. The initiative links financing to verified outcomes and strengthens governance and climate resilience.
Digital Health and NCD Management
The West Bengal Health System Reform Program Operation will support personalized healthcare services for people over 30 years, with digital tracking for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension and diabetes. It will adopt a patient-centric approach, improve health outcome measurement, and enhance the resilience of healthcare facilities to extreme weather events.
Gender-Based Violence and Quality of Care
The program also aims to strengthen services addressing gender-based violence, including interventions for boys, married adolescents, and healthcare providers. Quality-of-care improvements at the primary healthcare level will target NCDs and ensure timely responses to GBV incidents, enhancing trust in the healthcare system.
Expert Insights
“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, Task Team Leaders of the program. They emphasized that quality-of-care interventions and GBV mechanisms are critical to improving overall health outcomes.
Funding and Implementation
The $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. The program aims to provide measurable improvements in health outcomes, particularly for vulnerable populations, while ensuring sustainable and resilient healthcare services across West Bengal.
