Meghalaya signs MoU with PHFI for 1st Pub Health Institute in NE

Shillong, Jun 9 (UNI) The Meghalaya government today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) for setting up the first Public Health Institute in the North Eastern state and the fourth of its kind in India.

The MoU was signed between State Chief Secretary Ranjan Chatterjee and PHFI Chairman Dr Sinha Reddy in presence of Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr Donkupar Roy and Planning Board Chairman P A Sangma.

Earlier, before inking the MoU, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone at Mawdiangdiang, the proposed new satellite township of Shillong.

The institute is to be established on State and Public Private Partnership at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore.

The Meghalaya government has already provided land free of cost and accorded an initial amount of Rs 22.03 crore.

The PHFI will carry out research on various health issues, besides providing health management training.

Dr Reddy said the institute would serve the people in ameliorating various health-related problems, including Malaria and TB, in the North East.

''The PHFI's mission is to benchmark quality standards for public health education, establish public health institutes of excellence based on these standards, undertake meaningful public health research and advocate for public policy linked to broader public health goals,'' he said.

Similar health institutes have also been set up at Gandhinagar, Hyderabad and Delhi, while the Centre has proposed to set up such institutes in Punjab, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Orissa.

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