About TNHSP

Tamil Nadu has made significant strides in improving the health status and increasing access to health care services in the last decades. Nonetheless, it continues to face major challenges growing burden of non-communicable diseases, quality of care and equity issues as well as health financing issues in the State.

To respond to these challenges the Government of Tamil Nadu developed a Health Policy in 2003. This strategy focuses on improving the health status of the general population, with special emphasis on the health of low-income communities and families, over the next two decades. The Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project will support implementation of this strategy through the following interventions;

• Increasing access to and utilization of health services, particularly for poor, disadvantaged, and tribal groups;

• Developing and pilot testing effective interventions to address key health challenges, specifically non communicable diseases and trauma cases from traffic and other accidents;

• Improving health outcomes, access and quality of service delivery through strengthened management of the public sector health systems and greater engagement of the non governmental sector;

• Increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the public sector hospital services, primarily at district and sub-district level.

The World Bank has approved the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project for a total cost of Rs.597.15 crores with a credit of US$110.83 million or Rs.502.94 crores. This project will be implemented in a period of 5 years from the year 2005. The main goal of the project is to improve the health outcomes of the people of Tamil Nadu, especially the poor and the disadvantaged. A major component of the project is to improve the infrastructure in all the district and sub district hospitals. It has been proposed to take up the construction of maternity wards, inpatient and outpatient blocks, operation theatres, intensive care units etc. Modern equipments like haemodialysis machines, ventilators, ICU equipments, X-Ray machines, Ultra Sonogram machines etc. would be provided. In order to strengthen the emergency transport services, Government will provide 385 ambulances in all the blocks in Tamil Nadu. All the health institutions would also be linked up with a comprehensive health management information system.

The project will support health partnerships in the implementation of all it components. Risk factor prevention for non-communicable diseases will be implemented across the state, while pilot strategies for prevention and management of hypertension and cervical cancer will be rigorously tested for effectiveness in selected districts. The project will also ensure comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care in an aggressive strategy to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates, and worse-off areas that are remote or inhabited by tribal people will receive support first. Infrastructure improvements and improved quality of care will be implemented simultaneously in a phased manner.

The World Bank’s involvement in the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project will help introduce new approaches in the way the health sector functions in the state, such as promoting collaboration with the non–governmental sector, adopting quality assurance mechanisms and addressing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. While the health system in Tamil Nadu has been fairly effective in providing basic health needs to its people, it is expected that the goals sought in the project will demonstrate the impact of cutting-edge-reforms.