Our Bureau
SHILLONG, Sep 17: To provide a much-needed boost to health services for women and children, the ‘Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan’ was launched in Meghalaya on Wednesday, alongside other states and union territories.
According to a statement here, the nationwide virtual launch of the health and nutrition campaign, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was followed by the state-level launch by the Health department during a ceremony at Raj Bhavan, Shillong.
Addressing the gathering as the guest of honour, Meghalaya Governor CH Vijayashankar, citing wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita, said, “Where women are honoured, divinity blossoms there.”
He connected this principle directly to Meghalaya, saying, “If at all you have to see anywhere or in any part of the country a female-dominated society, ultimately, you have to come to the state of Meghalaya.”
Encouraging officials to reach out to people during the 15-day programme, the Governor said, “This 15-day programme should be celebrated as a festival in Meghalaya. What else can be done by the government? Only thing we do is to reach out in these 15 days. We should not hear anybody to be left out. Entire department should be involved and should feel that they have given justice to the state of Meghalaya.”
He concluded by praising the prime minister for giving this “wonderful programme to the nation.”
On the other hand, Health Ministry Additional Secretary V. Hekali Zhimomi highlighted that women’s health, development and empowerment are key priorities for progress.
She lauded the prime minister’s efforts in successfully launching the campaign.
Referring to Meghalaya’s unique matrilineal society, she also pointed out the state’s health challenges, noting that 53.8% of women aged 15 to 49 are anaemic.
Zhimomi then urged the Meghalaya government to ensure that women in both urban and rural areas can access the services provided under the campaign. “The health of women is not a choice, it is a necessity,” she emphasised.
Meanwhile, Health department Principal Secretary Sampath Kumar, in his address, stressed Meghalaya’s plan to conduct two weeks of intensive health and awareness campaigns under the initiative.
He said the effort would be marked by strong collaboration between public and private health facilities, ensuring wide outreach.
He then emphasised the campaign’s focus on preventive care, including cancer screenings, to promote early detection. “Early detection can help us address these issues effectively, and I request the entire state, district and block teams to proactively encourage these health screenings,” he said.
Kumar added that the campaign would also focus on nutrition and tackling childhood stunting.
Launch at NEIGRIHMS
At the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), a programme was organised on Wednesday to mark the launch of the health and nutrition campaign.
Noted social activist, writer and journalist Padma Shri Patricia Mukhim, who was the chief guest for the event, said that women’s health is as important as the health of all family members. “Women face different sets of health challenges and health needs. Women’s health is women’s right and we need to demand that right,” she said.
She pointed out that women face multiple health challenges that far outnumber others, but gender-neutral funding of health programmes requires a revisit.
Mukhim further noted that the focus of women’s health has always been on the reproductive cycle, with little attention given to post-menopause health.
She also advocated the need for better access to mental health care in rural areas, where women often face abandonment and the challenge of single-handedly raising their children.
On the other hand, NEIGRIHMS Director Dr. Nalin Mehta said that working towards women’s health is vital for nation-building. He added that women often neglect their own health by prioritising their families, and emphasised the importance of awareness on women’s nutrition, cancer screening and menstrual health.
Meanwhile, Medical Superintendent Dr. Suvamoy Chakraborty also underlined that the progress of society depends on taking care of women’s health.
Prof. (Dr) Star Pala, Nodal Officer for the Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan, said that NEIGRIHMS has arranged various programmes, including health camps outside the campus, to reach women in the community.
It may be mentioned that NEIGRIHMS has set up screening facilities for common diseases including hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and also offers menstrual hygiene counselling for women visiting the institute until October 2.
In addition, a special booth has been activated in the OPD area in collaboration with the Meghalaya government to encourage women’s enrolment under Aadhaar and Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission for extending health benefits under various insurance schemes.
A desk has also been set up to facilitate Aadhaar seeding of MHIS beneficiaries.
It may be mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan along with the 8th Rashtriya Poshan Maah on Wednesday.
The Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan marks the largest-ever health outreach for women and children in India. The initiative, jointly led by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Ministry of Women & Child Development (MoWCD), will involve organising more than 10 lakh health camps from September 17 to October 2 at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Community Health Centres (CHCs), District Hospitals and other government health facilities across the country to provide women-centric preventive, promotive and curative health services at the community level.
It will strengthen screening, early detection, and treatment linkages for non-communicable diseases, anaemia, tuberculosis and sickle cell disease, while also promoting maternal, child and adolescent health through antenatal care, immunisation, nutrition, menstrual hygiene, lifestyle and mental health awareness activities.
At the same time, the campaign will mobilise communities towards healthy lifestyle practices with a special emphasis on obesity prevention, improved nutrition, and voluntary blood donation.
