The Indian government and the World Bank have agreed to fund a $40 million initiative in Meghalaya to enhance the quality of health services and boost the state’s capacity to deal with future health catastrophes, such as the covid-19 pandemic.
On behalf of the Indian government, Rajat Kumar Mishra, additional secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ramkumar S, Joint Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, on behalf of the Government of Meghalaya, and Junaid Ahmad, Country Director, India, on behalf of the World Bank, signed the agreement.
The Ministry of Finance said in a statement that Meghalaya Health Systems Strengthening Project will improve the state’s management and governance capabilities, as well as the design and coverage of the state’s health insurance programme. It will also improve the quality of health services by implementing certification and better human resource systems, as well as facilitating efficient access to medicines and diagnostics.
The finance ministry also stated that the government’s primary aim is to build and expand healthcare systems and that the initiative will improve the management and quality of healthcare services in the state. “It will also assist in expanding the coverage of health services and making them accessible and affordable to the state’s poor and vulnerable,” it added.
The initiative will contribute to the improvement of Meghalaya’s health insurance programme, the Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS), which now covers 56 per cent of the state’s households. MHIS currently promises to give a more complete package and cover 100% of the families after merging with the national Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PMJAY). This will lower the obstacles to getting medical treatments and prevent disadvantaged families from incurring catastrophic out-of-pocket payments.
The project will also invest in infection prevention, resilient response to future outbreaks and pandemic and health emergencies. The project will also include waste management, segregation, disinfection and collection of waste while safeguarding the environment, further enhancing health service and patient safety.
