6 days ago
2,426 cr Covid fight bill hit state economy hard: Report
1
2
3
Visakhapatnam: The Covid-19 pandemic not only triggered a public health emergency but also imposed significant financial pressure on the Andhra Pradesh exchequer. Between 2019–20 and 2022–23, the state incurred an expenditure of 4,606 crore on various Covid-19 prevention and management measures, according to the CAG report.
Andhra Pradesh was among the hardest-hit states, recording over 23 lakh cases—ranking fifth in the country in terms of case load.
In response to the emerging crisis, the state ramped up healthcare infrastructure beginning February 2020. Key initiatives included setting up diagnostic labs, expanding testing capacity, procuring medicines and vaccines, strengthening oxygen supply networks, and mobilizing critical medical resources.
Although public health is a state responsibility, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provided both technical and financial aid to assist states in managing the pandemic. The Centre introduced the Emergency Covid Response Package (ECRP) to curb transmission and mitigate impact. Under ECRP-I, funds released to Andhra Pradesh in FY 2020–21 were fully borne by the Centre. In 2021–22, the funding was shared between Centre and state in a 60:40 ratio.
According to the CAG report, during the four-year period, Andhra Pradesh received a total allocation of 4,961.36 crore (both Central and state share) and spent 4,606 crore. Of this, the state govt on its part spent 2,426.47 crore. GoI's share amounted to 1,876.44 crore, of which 1,612.45 crore was utilised. From the state disaster response fund, 140.95 crore was used out of the allocated 187.87 crore. Meanwhile, 426.13 crore was spent from the district mineral fund, against an allocation of 534.41 crore.
At the onset of the pandemic in Feb 2020, Andhra Pradesh had no Covid-19 testing infrastructure. The state responded swiftly by establishing 135 testing laboratories. Until these labs became operational, test samples had to be sent to other states for processing. During the second wave, the state expanded the number of Covid-19 treatment hospitals from 260 in the first wave to over 640. It also ramped up human resources, recruiting 17,300 doctors and support staff during the first wave, and an additional 18,000 medical personnel during the second wave.
Notably, Andhra Pradesh became one of the few states in India to achieve 100% double-dose vaccination coverage among eligible population groups.
In a major welfare initiative, Andhra Pradesh became the first state in the country to include Covid-19 treatment under its flagship Arogyasri health scheme (now renamed as NTR Vaidya Seva). This decision enabled over 1 lakh patients to receive free inpatient treatment at private hospitals across the state.
