Meghalaya has stepped up its push to strengthen maternal and child healthcare in the Garo Hills with Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma inaugurating the expanded 150-bed District Maternity & Child Hospital (DMCH) in Tura on Tuesday.

 

The expansion marks a significant addition to the region’s healthcare infrastructure and is aimed at improving access to quality maternal and child care, strengthening referral services and reducing preventable deaths among mothers and children.

 

The facility was inaugurated during a programme held under the theme “A Solemn Celebration of Maternal & Child Health.”

 

The expansion forms part of the State Government’s wider maternal and child healthcare strategy, which includes the MOTHER (Measurable Outcomes in Transforming Health Sector through a Holistic Approach with a Focus on Women Empowerment) programme, Rescue Mission and the Chief Minister’s Safe Motherhood Scheme. The initiatives focus on high-risk pregnancies, institutional deliveries, maternal and child nutrition and stronger referral mechanisms.

 

Speaking at the inauguration, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said the expansion addresses a critical infrastructure requirement while underlining the State’s focus on maternal and child health.

 

“It’s a very important step, especially keeping in mind the importance that we give to the health of mother and child. But more importantly, we are on expansion mode,” he said.

 

The Chief Minister stressed that the ultimate objective is to ensure that no mother or child loses their life due to gaps in healthcare.

 

“We don't want even a single mother to lose her life. We don't want a single child to lose his or her life.”

 

Sangma said the State was moving ahead with further expansion of civil hospitals, district hospitals and mother-and-child hospitals. Under PM-DevINE, Meghalaya is expected to receive approximately Rs 750–800 crore in project funding over the next five years, with the government deciding to direct a substantial share of these investments towards the health sector.

 

Tura, Shillong and Jowai have been identified among the locations for major hospital infrastructure investments.

 

Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Meghalaya, Sampath Kumar, described the inauguration as a critical milestone in strengthening tertiary healthcare infrastructure in the region.

 

He said the State Government has maintained a sustained focus on healthcare over the past six to seven years, with Meghalaya currently allocating more than 8% of its total budget to the sector.

 

According to Kumar, sustained interventions have contributed to a reduction of more than 55% in maternal mortality and over 40% in infant mortality, while stunting has declined by nearly 10 percentage points over the past five years.

 

The State’s stated objective is to bring maternal and infant mortality rates down to single digits, on par with Kerala. Key interventions include the Chief Minister’s Safe Motherhood Scheme, transit homes for high-risk pregnant women, community childcare support through self-help groups, Mother-Baby Kits to encourage institutional deliveries and Mission 1000 Days, which focuses on maternal and child nutrition.

 

At the hospital level, Specialist Obstetrician-Gynaecologist Dr. Dylan G. Momin said the Tura facility had been under considerable pressure, catering to more than 100 pregnant women in addition to gynaecological and paediatric cases.

 

The expanded capacity, he said, would ease the pressure on the hospital and reinforce its role as the referral centre for difficult and high-risk cases from across the Garo Hills.

 

He also highlighted the benefits of government-backed schemes such as CMHIS and the availability of advanced medical equipment, including laparoscopy facilities.

 

“Lots of patients have benefited a lot because now we are working as a team,” he said.

 

Staff Nurse Anna Merry Ch. Marak said the additional beds have significantly improved the hospital’s ability to manage ante-natal, post-natal and high-risk patients. Previously, limited bed capacity meant different categories of patients often had to be accommodated together.

 

She said regular training, updated protocols, advanced technology and team-based care have strengthened patient management, while counselling has helped mothers with newborn care and breastfeeding.

 

She also pointed to the impact of the Safe Motherhood Scheme kits and Chief Minister Mother & Child Care Kits, which provide essential items for mothers and newborns. Ambulance services and other government-supported interventions have further helped reduce the financial and logistical burden on families.

 

As part of the programme, the Chief Minister formally unveiled the plaque at the New OPD building, marking the official opening of the enhanced facility to the public.

 

A key highlight of the event was the distribution of Chief Minister Mother & Child Care Kits, with Sangma personally handing over the kits to post-natal mothers in the hospital wards.

 

The kits are designed to provide practical assistance during the immediate postnatal period and support safer, healthier beginnings for mothers and newborns.