DIMAPUR: The World Bank evinced interest in supporting the new Nagaland health system strengthening project (NHSSP), following the successful implementation of the Nagaland health project (NHP) aided by it.
World Bank country director Auguste Tano Kouame expressed the interest in Nagaland health and family welfare minister P Paiwang Konyak when he, along with his team, met the former at the World Bank office in New Delhi on Friday (May 19).
Kouame, according to an official statement, assured to recommend to the government of India to support the new project.
Appreciating the NHP team for the successful implementation of the NHP, Kouame said although he had taken over as the country director recently, he was briefed about the successful implementation of the project.
He thanked the Nagaland government and the state health and family welfare department for the same.
He suggested that the proposed project could assist the state to generate fiscal revenue, mobilise private sector through PPP mode and generate employment through pre-service training.
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He further called for conducting virtual meetings with other states and countries which are being funded by the World Bank to showcase the good practices of the NHP.
Nagaland minister Konyak thanked the World Bank for its support to Nagaland, especially in the health sector.
Highlighting the issues and challenges in the health sector in Nagaland, he appreciated the bank for its support in the successful implementation of the NHP as the improvements made under the project are visible.
“Health is a complex issue and it cannot be solved in a year or two but as steady progress is made, funding and assistance of externally aided projects should continue,” Konyak said and appealed to the World Bank to provide continuous support.
Nagaland health and family welfare department commissioner and secretary Y Kikheto Sema also thanked the World Bank for funding the projects in Nagaland in the health and education sectors and also in agriculture and allied activities in the recent past.
Sema said the proposed new NHSSP is mainly to fill the gaps in the infrastructures of the health centres and quarters for health workers.
He added that the desire of the state government to provide affordable and accessible health care to its citizens cannot be fulfilled without good infrastructure facilities.