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• The funding will support system-wide improvements, including hospitals, services, and healthcare delivery across Mizoram.
• The central government will cover most of the cost, easing the state’s financial responsibility over a long repayment period.
• The state’s health scheme offers wider insurance coverage while driving upgrades in hospitals, beds, and critical care facilities.

Mizoram is set to significantly improve its public healthcare system with a $108 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). State Health and Family Welfare Minister Lalrinpuii said the funding will support a comprehensive healthcare strengthening project aimed at achieving universal health coverage.

The loan is part of the ADB-backed initiative titled Supporting Public Healthcare System Strengthening to Achieve Universal Healthcare for Mizoram. Approved earlier this month, the agreement will be formally signed once the Union Ministry of Finance finalizes the date. Under the financing structure, the central government will cover 90 percent of the loan amount, while Mizoram will repay the remaining 10 percent over a 15 year period. This arrangement will ease the financial pressure on the state.

After the agreement is signed, Mizoram expects an initial disbursement of Rs 21 crore within a month under the Disbursement Linked Indicator framework. The funds will help implement and scale the Mizoram Universal Health Care Scheme (MUHCS), launched in March by the Zoram People’s Movement government and rolled out statewide in April.

The MUHCS provides cashless health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family each year at government, empaneled private, and church-run hospitals. According to Mizoram Health Care Society Lalhriatzuali Ralte,CEO  over 65,000 families have registered under the scheme this fiscal year. These include government employees, pensioners, and families already covered under Ayushman Bharat.

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So far, nearly 60,000 beneficiaries have received treatment, with healthcare spending crossing Rs 100 crore. Most patients were treated at state-run hospitals.

Alongside insurance coverage, the government is upgrading infrastructure and manpower. Zoram Medical College and Hospital now has 520 beds, ICU capacity has doubled, and Aizawl Civil Hospital is undergoing major upgrades. Renal transplant services are also set to begin soon.