Shillong: In a significant move, the Government of Meghalaya and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday to collaborate on improving health, nutrition, and agriculture outcomes in the state.
The partnership will focus on enhancing population health, particularly in areas such as maternal and newborn health, family planning, nursing education, and the development of agriculture and livestock. Meghalaya is the third state in India, after Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, to form a partnership with the Gates Foundation in both health and agriculture.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and the Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Agriculture, Dr. M. Ampareen Lyngdoh. M. Hari Menon, Director of the India Country Office at BMGF, and Sampath Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya’s Health & Family Welfare Department, represented the respective parties during the signing. Also present were other senior officials from the state government, including Dr. Vijay Kumar D., Dr. Joram Beda, and Mr. Ramkumar S., along with Dr. Rajani Ved, Director of Health for the Gates Foundation’s India Country Office.
The MoU commits to creating effective healthcare solutions in Meghalaya and aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially the health-related targets for 2030. The four-year partnership will focus on efficient delivery, monitoring, and evaluation of key objectives.
Under this MoU, BMGF will provide financial and technical support across 12 key areas, including comprehensive primary healthcare, maternal and neonatal health, immunization, childhood nutrition, family planning, nursing education, supply chain management, digital health, and agriculture and livestock development.
Speaking at the event, Chief Minister Sangma highlighted the importance of this collaboration, stating, “We are excited about this partnership with the Gates Foundation. It’s vital to have the right people with the right mindset to resolve challenges and improve the lives of our citizens.”
Health Minister Dr. Ampareen Lyngdoh emphasized the need for community participation and expressed hope that the partnership could lead to models replicable across other northeastern states.
The collaboration aims to achieve three core objectives: reducing maternal, neonatal, and child mortality, enhancing health and nutrition services with a focus on gender, and building institutional capacity through policy development, research, and sustainable healthcare innovations.
M. Hari Menon of BMGF said, “This partnership demonstrates our commitment to providing equitable access to essential health and nutrition services. We look forward to supporting Meghalaya in achieving long-term, sustainable health outcomes.”
Sampath Kumar, Principal Secretary & Development Commissioner, added, “This partnership marks a significant step toward providing quality health and nutrition care to the people of Meghalaya, ensuring a safer future for generations to come.”
The partnership will also focus on creating IT solutions for primary healthcare, improving family planning services, strengthening maternal and neonatal health infrastructure, and advancing nursing education through a redesigned curriculum. Additionally, digital health initiatives will enhance decision-making, and agriculture programs will focus on value chains and support for small farmers.
The Meghalaya State Health Society will coordinate activities funded by BMGF, overseeing progress and planning for sustainability. The Gates Foundation will invest both financial and technical resources, bringing in national and international expertise to advance the state’s health agenda.
This partnership between the Government of Meghalaya and the Gates Foundation is poised to significantly improve healthcare delivery and access in the state.
