Shillong, June 9: A team from Johns Hopkins University has begun preliminary discussions in Meghalaya for an independent evaluation of the long-running partnership between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Meghalaya government, aimed at assessing its impact on strengthening the state’s health system.
The delegation, led by Professor Sara Bennett and Dr. Kriti Singh, was accompanied by a Gates Foundation team headed by Dr. Rajani Ved, Director (Health), India Country Office.
During their visit, the team held consultations with senior state officials, including Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Dr. Sampath Kumar, Health Secretary Ramkumar S., and NHM Mission Director Ramakrishna Chitturi, besides directors of various health services.
The delegation also interacted with key health institutions, including the State Health Systems Resource Centre (SHSRC), Regional Health & Family Welfare Training Centre (RHFWTC), Meghalaya Health Systems Strengthening Project (MHSSP), Meghalayan Medical Drugs & Services Limited (MMDSL), and the Centre for Developing Child (CDC).
Officials said the evaluation will examine how investments in local institutions, capacity-building and governance reforms have contributed to improvements in Meghalaya’s healthcare delivery system.
Health Secretary Ramkumar S. stressed the importance of understanding what drives institutional ownership and long-term change, noting that sustainable health reforms depend on people and organisations taking responsibility for outcomes.
The discussions focused on identifying factors that have enabled or hindered institutional performance, documenting lessons from Meghalaya’s health sector reforms and generating insights that could inform future health-system strengthening initiatives both within and beyond the state.
NHM Mission Director Ramakrishna Chitturi highlighted the need to build resilient institutions where knowledge and expertise are embedded within systems rather than individuals, ensuring that improvements can be sustained over time.
The visit is being seen as a significant step in assessing Meghalaya’s health sector transformation and could help shape the next phase of collaboration between the state government, development partners and public health institutions.
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