The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sanctioned a $108 million results-based loan to help the Mizoram government strengthen its public healthcare system and move towards universal health coverage.
According to an ADB statement, the Supporting Public Health Care System Strengthening to Achieve Universal Health Care for Mizoram Programme is designed to expand equitable access to affordable, high-quality health services for the state’s 1.38 million people, with a special focus on women, senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
The programme will support the rollout of the Mizoram Universal Health Care Scheme (MUHCS), which brings all residents under a single health insurance framework that combines subsidised and contributory models. “By integrating central and state schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and the Mizoram State Health Care Scheme into one seamless, cashless and paperless platform, the state can ensure free coverage for poor and vulnerable groups while improving access to quality care,” said ADB India Country Director Mio Oka.
With this initiative, Mizoram becomes the first Indian state to undertake such comprehensive reforms in its universal health coverage system with ADB support. The MUHCS provides health insurance coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family each year. The state government will fully cover premiums for poor and vulnerable households, while other families will pay a contribution, and government employees will contribute a fixed portion of their salary.
The programme also aims to address Mizoram’s high burden of noncommunicable diseases and cancer, which together account for more than half of the state’s disease load, as well as the state’s heightened exposure to health risks arising from extreme weather events. Climate adaptation measures, including awareness drives and disaster preparedness, will be incorporated into healthcare delivery.
Under the initiative, primary healthcare services will be better linked with secondary and tertiary care through MUHCS, ensuring continuity of care and timely treatment. Capacity-building efforts will also focus on strengthening the state’s Department of Health and Family Welfare, primary health facilities and the Mizoram State Health Care Society, which oversees the scheme’s implementation.
ADB is a major multilateral development bank promoting inclusive, resilient and sustainable growth across Asia and the Pacific. Established in 1966, it is owned by 69 member countries, including 50 from the region, and works with governments and partners to address development challenges through innovative financing and strategic collaborations.
