Shillong: The Government of Meghalaya and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) made a major stride in the area of health, nutrition and agriculture today when they entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together towards improving population health outcomes of the state, particularly related to maternal and newborn health, family planning, nursing education and agriculture and livestock development. Meghalaya is only the third state in India, after Uttar Pradesh & Bihar, with whom the Gates Foundation is establishing a partnership.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad K Sangma and Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Agriculture, Dr. M Ampareen Lyngdoh. M. Hari Menon, Director of the India Country Office at the Gates Foundation, and Sampath Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, Health & Family Welfare Department on behalf of the state signed the MoU. Other members present during the signing were Commissioner & Secretary, Planning & Investment, Promotion & Sustainable Development, Government of Meghalaya, Dr Vijay Kumar D.; Commissioner & Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Dr Joram Beda; Secretary of Health and Family Welfare & Mission Director of NHM, Government of Meghalaya, Ramkumar S; Director of Health for the India Country Office at the Gates Foundation Dr Rajani Ved, as well as other senior officials from the Meghalaya Government and BMGF.