Shillong, Sept 24: The state government has joined hands with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) for a four-year partnership aimed at transforming healthcare, nutrition, and agriculture in the state. With this partnership, Meghalaya now becomes the third state in the country to collaborate with BMGF, following Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
The MoU signed today called for the realisation of efficient and effective healthcare solutions in Meghalaya, and the parties also pledged to undertake numerous activities in the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially the health-related goal for the year 2030.
Officials from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had visited the state in April to gain insights into existing healthcare infrastructure, with a particular focus on reproductive health, child health, nutrition, primary healthcare, supply chain management.
Through the MoU, BMGF will provide both financial and technical support to improve outcomes in twelve key areas: comprehensive primary healthcare, family planning, maternal health and anaemia, neonatal health, immunisation, childhood wasting and nutrition, nursing education, supply chain management, digital health, results based financing and performance management in healthcare, competency mapping and development for government functionaries, and agriculture and livestock development.
State data shows that Meghalaya is facing many challenges in health, nutrition, education and poverty.
The collaboration between the state and the Gates Foundation is based on three strategically oriented goals for changing the current state of health care.
First, it seeks to lower maternal, neonatal and child mortality through increasing access to family planning, managing anaemia and developing emergency transport to reduce death rates.
Second, the partnership aims to promote health and nutrition services provided by both the government and non-government organisations with special reference to gender. Finally, the partnership will build the capacity of local institutions by ensuring that they are involved in policy formulation, research and breakthroughs in healthcare to support sustainable change.
Director of the India Country Office at the Gates Foundation, M. Hari Menon and Principal Secretary to Health & Family Welfare Department Sampath Kumar signed the MoU in the presence of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh. The event was attended by senior state government officials and BMGF.
The Gates Foundation will provide both financial and technical support, focusing on critical healthcare issues like immunization, childhood nutrition, digital health, and supply chain management. The collaboration also aims to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in health.
The partnership will also focus on several key program areas, such as the creation of IT solutions for primary healthcare as well as improving family planning by increasing the number of contraceptive methods and availability. There will also be cooperation in areas of agriculture and livestock development emphasizing building value chains and supporting small farmers in the state.
Speaking on the collaboration, Sangma said, “We are excited to work with the Gates Foundation to improve healthcare outcomes in Meghalaya. This collaboration will help us address institutional challenges and make a real difference in the lives of our citizens.”
“What matters is how to make life better for our citizens. We will go the extra mile to make sure that we achieve the goals that we want. It will not be easy, but it is a continuous process” the chief minister said.
Kumar said it is a significant step in our endeavour towards reaching people of Meghalaya for quality health and nutrition care through this partnership with the Gates Foundation. “Altogether, our mission is to develop a health system that can be safe for future generations” he added.
Lyngdoh also hopes that the module would be suitable for replication across the board in the northeastern states and other areas.
