Shillong, June 17: Health Minister, AL Hek has sought financial support from the Centre for procurement of the state-of-the-art equipment for the two mother & child hospitals in the state, and for the establishment of a training institute in Shillong.

In a memorandum submitted to Union Health & Family Welfare Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan in New Delhi, Hek sought his intervention for fund support to strengthen health care facilities and institutions in the state.

He said that Rs 10 crore and Rs 6 crore for procurement of equipment for the 100-bedded mother & child hospital at Jowai, West Jaiñtia Hills and 50-bedded mother & child hospital at Nongstoiñ, West Khasi Hills respectively.

In order to make the Blood Component Separation Unit, Tura in West Garo Hills fully equipped, Hek told the Union Minister that the state needed the ministry’s intervention for procuring equipment costing approximately Rs 80 lakh.

The Unit at Tura is attached to the only blood bank of Garo Hills and caters to the need of a huge population of the five districts in the whole Garo Hills region.

Hek said that under the Forward Linkages Scheme, the state proposes to establish a state of the art training institute in Shillong which can conduct trainings (both technical and non-technical) for the health and family welfare department of the state.

“Since capacity building and training is a critical necessity to continuously build skills and increase competency of both medical and paramedical staff, it is urgently required,” Hek said while seeking financial support of Rs 15 crore to establish this institute.

Hek also sought Rs 6 crore for purchasing additional fleet of 50 ambulances in the state.

Meghalaya has 39 health blocks with over 444 health sub centres, 109 PHCs and 28 CHCs. According to him, it becomes a challenge to timely refer patients in need as the state is operating with only 48 ambulances across 11 districts.

“To bridge this gap and to provide service in golden one hour for all patients, it is necessary to have an intelligent and functional referral system. The state would like to seek support in referral transport in the form of provision of ambulances in these health blocks,” he said while informing that these ambulances will be placed in strategic locations to cater to the people in need.

Meanwhile, in order to improve the reproductive, maternal, new born, child and adolescent (RMNCH+A) health status, and to achieve universal health coverage, the Minister said, “we have to implement wide ranging interventions and invest in quality of services in the field of RMNCH+A on a mission approach.

“I hope that a mission mode strategic approach to strengthen RMNCH+A health services in state will take India closer to achieving its national health goals and the sustainable development goals 3 to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being of all at all ages till 2030,” the Health Minister.