India and World Bank sign agreement to strengthen health systems in Meghalaya

• Government of India, the Government of Meghalaya and the World Bank signed a $40 million health project for the state of Meghalaya.
• The project will improve the quality of health services and strengthen the state's capacity to deal with future health emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meghalaya Health System Strengthening Project

• The project will enhance the management and governance capabilities of the state and its health facilities, expand the design and coverage of the state's health insurance program, improve the quality of health services through certification and better human resource systems, and enable efficient access to medicines and diagnostics.
• All districts of Meghalaya will be benefited from the health scheme.
• It will also benefit the health sector employees at the primary and secondary levels by strengthening their planning and management capabilities and by building their clinical skills.
• This project will enable women to better utilize healthcare services at the community level.
• It will enhance the management and quality of health services in the state.
• It will also help expand the coverage of health services and make it accessible and affordable to the poor and vulnerable in the state.”

Increased support to Meghalaya's Megha Health Insurance Scheme

• The project will help strengthen the effectiveness of Meghalaya's health insurance program known as the Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS), which currently covers 56 per cent of the households.
• With its merger with the National Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), MHIS now plans to offer a more comprehensive package and cover 100 per cent of the households.
• This will reduce barriers to access to hospital services and prevent disastrous spending for poor families.

Focus on a Performance-based financing system

• As a key strategy, the project will move towards a performance-based financing system where Internal Performance Agreements (IPAs) between DoHFW and its subsidiaries will promote greater accountability at all levels.
• This is expected to go a long way in improving the management of the system to provide quality health services.
• The project will also focus on promoting synergy between various schemes and enhancing the capacity of the State Insurance Agency.
• The project will invest in infection prevention and control for a more resilient response to future outbreaks, pandemics and health emergencies.

Focus on bio-medical waste management

• Better health services can also lead to an increase in bio-medical waste.
• Any improper management of waste, including bio-medical waste and other hazardous wastes such as plastic waste and e-waste, creates environmental risks.
• The project will invest in improving the overall ecosystem for bio-medical waste management (both solid and liquid waste).
• This will include segregation, disinfection and collection while protecting the environment and improving the quality of healthcare and patient safety.