Northeast Conclave for Health brought together eight sisters of North-East India: Nagaland Health Minister

Guwahati (Assam) (India), June 15 : Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Nagaland P Paiwang Konyak attended the first Northeast Knowledge Conclave for Health at Guwahati on Thursday and said that the conclave has brought together the eight sisters of North-East India in a common platform.
Delivering the keynote address, Paiwang said, "The Northeast Conclave for Health has brought together the eight sisters of North-East India in a common platform and the event was significant to showcase the achievements in responding to the state's specific health issues and for an in-depth discussion on the health challenges that need to be addressed."
While highlighting the various activities for Nagaland state under Nagaland Health Project (NHP), the Minister informed that NHP was the first state-level project funded by the World Bank, implemented by the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Nagaland and the intervention started in the year 2015 as a pilot project in two districts and fully scaled up to the remaining 16 districts in 2017.
Further adding that during the last 7 years, all 500 health committees have been strengthened and revived; gender inclusion was addressed through the constitution of women co-chairs in all the Health Centres while knowledge enhancement, awareness generation, and sensitization on health and societal issues were efficiently strengthened, the minister informed.
Paiwang also mentioned that Nagaland Health Project investment is made in WATSAN-infrastructural development, Alternate energy-SOLAR, Supply Chain Management, IT and sustainable Biomedical Waste management as per the provisions of the Biomedical Waste Management Act, and also to improve the efficiency of service delivery.
He said many digital platforms have been created in the form of Hospital Information Systems (HIS), Bio-medical waste management reporting systems & Human Resource Management Systems Drug and Vaccine Distribution and Management Systems (DVDMS) along with other IT applications.
He said civil repair and renovation works have been completed in four Nursing Schools and Para Medical Training Institute and 176 targeted health facilities while also Construction of the State Ware House has been completed.
"Construction of the Library and Theatre Block at Nagaland Medical College Kohima is also under Nagaland Health Project, which is in progress," Paiwang added.
In the midst of the Covid pandemic, the Minister also stated that immense additional support to the department was provided by the Project by Supplying Oxygen cylinders and Concentrators across the state and the project has also Constructed oxygen generation Plant houses in eight District hospitals and Installed Oxygen pipelines at various Health facilities.
He said that NHP has demonstrated that there are many ways to promote the right economic incentives to support sustainable practices in finance by bringing together, on a voluntary basis, communities, government and banks.
The minister also stated that the availability of finance is a key challenge in facilitating systemic transitions and the investments made by the World Bank through Nagaland Health Project should be sustained to ensure that the gains made over the years are consolidated.
Further, the Minister urged all the neighbouring states to foster the relationship and exchange ideas and good practices to learn from each other and move together with the rest of the other States in the country.