Asian Development Bank (ADB) Loan to Maharashtra

GS Paper II International Relations

Context:

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $500 million loan to enhance the quality and affordability of tertiary health care and medical education in Maharashtra.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been working with the Maharashtra government to achieve its vision of providing affordable and accessible tertiary health care to all by 2030 and strengthen a cadre of quality and professional medical practitioners.

Capacity Augmentation: The programme plans to augment bed capacity in state hospitals and recruit at least 500 doctors for these new institutions.
Policy reforms: The programme will initiate reforms to bolster tertiary healthcare services and expand medical education, particularly in underserved regions.
Policy Support: ADB’s Programme will foster a conducive policy environment for attracting and retaining medical professionals through performance incentives, a new talent management policy, and the creation of India’s inaugural state-led centers of excellence in healthcare and medical education.
New Medical colleges: The Programme aims to construct four new medical colleges with tertiary care hospitals, which will include features that are resilient to climate and disasters, gender-sensitive, and socially inclusive.
Low cost healthcare: It seeks to lessen the financial burden on patients by improving access to quality drugs, and introducing a performance management system to drive competition among medical colleges.

About: It is a multilateral development bank, which seeks to help its developing member countries to reduce poverty and improve their people’s quality of life.
Membership: From 31 members at its establishment in 1966, the Asian Development Bank has grown to encompass 68 members—of which 49 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.
- India became the member in 1966.
Membership Criteria: It is open to members and associate members of the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East.
- It’s also open to other regional countries and non-regional developed countries that are members of the U.N. or of any of its specialized agencies.
- Although the majority of the Bank’s members are from the Asia-Pacific region, the industrialized nations are also well-
Shareholders: As of 31st December 2019, ADB’s five largest shareholders are Japan and the United States (each with 15.6% of total shares), the People’s Republic of China (6.4%), India (6.3%), and Australia (5.8%).
It is headquartered in Manila, Philippines.