New Delhi, Oct 24 : The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors on Friday approved a new programme to improve the life expectancy and quality of life for 11 million elderly and vulnerable people in Kerala with wider access to health coverage.

The $280 million Kerala Health System Improvement Programme will build a more comprehensive health system resistant to climate shocks.

It will also strengthen Kerala's digital health systems through expanded eHealth services, integrated data platforms, and enhanced cybersecurity.

The programme aims to treat and support over 90 per cent of patients registered for hypertension and diabetes in the state through individual electronic tracking mechanisms. It will also establish a home-based care model for bedbound, homebound, and vulnerable elderly, to provide comprehensive health services.

'Good health empowers people, creates jobs, and drives economic growth. Strong, resilient health systems also help economies prevent and better respond to health emergencies and pandemics,' said Paul Procee, the World Bank's Acting Country Director for India.

'In Kerala, women have one of the highest educational attainments in the country and can contribute more to the state's economic growth with optimum health. The programme will ensure a 40 per cent increase in patients whose hypertension is controlled and 60 per cent increase in cervical and breast cancer screening for women to accelerate efforts to end preventable deaths,' he added.

Kerala has achieved sustained health gains for over two decades, with improvements in neonatal (3.4 per 1,000 live births), infant (4.4 per 1,000 live births), under-five mortality (5.2 per 1,000 live births), and maternal mortality (19 per 100,000 live births) rates.

This stems from high literacy rates, public health awareness, and decentralised governance. However, a rising burden of non-communicable diseases (hypertension, diabetes, cancer) and a rapidly ageing population (with the elderly comprising over 20 per cent of the total population) has strained the health system.

However, there are gaps in emergency and trauma care, with over 4,000 deaths in road traffic reported annually.

The new programme will engage with local government bodies, such as gram panchayats and municipal corporations, to adopt standard protocols and procedures for antibiotic use and address zoonotic disease outbreaks by fast-tracking reliable laboratory information for patients.

Primary health facilities in the districts of Wayanad, Kozhikode, Kasaragod, Palakkad, and Alappuzha will also adopt climate-led solutions to improve energy efficiency and manage extreme heat and floods.

'Kerala has adopted One Health approaches, and experiences from ongoing World Bank support have been tapped to establish a sound system of community surveillance,' said Deepika Chaudhery and Hikuepi Katjiuongua, the Task Team Leaders of the programme.

'This programme will ensure elderly people in Kerala receive wider access to health coverage through innovative initiatives. The programme will also support a multilevel trauma and emergency care system to ensure that 8.5 million people receive timely and high-quality service,' they added.

The $280 million loan from the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a final maturity of 25 years with a grace period of five years.

/IANS