Health Ministry sign MoC with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for technical support

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare signed a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) for technical support. Under this MoC, BMGF will provide technical, management and program design support to Union Health Ministry through its grantees as well as other partners. The special focus under MoC will be on innovation, best practices and enhancing performance management.

Highlights of MoC

BMGF will support the Health Ministry’s work towards strengthening primary health aspects. This includes reducing maternal mortality and child mortality, improving nutrition services as well as increasing immunization reach.

It will also make efforts towards bolstering the entire health system by-

Increasing access to family planning measures amongst younger women as well as reduce the burden of select infectious diseases such as Tuberculosis (TB), Visceral Leishmaniasis (Black fever aka Kala-Azar) and Lymphatic Filariasis (commonly known as Elephantiasis).

Strengthening of supply chains and monitoring systems while focusing on budget utilization, management as well as skills of human resources for health.

Significance

BMGF will support the Union Ministry of Health’s ambitious vision to improve the primary healthcare system in this country–especially for women and children. Thus, the Union Ministry of Health will use support to achieve universal health coverage in the country with an effective and quality-driven primary healthcare system.

About Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

It is an American private foundation founded by Microsoft Co-founder Bill and his wife Melinda Gates. It was launched in 2000 and is based in Seattle, Washington. It is the largest private foundation (philanthropic organization) in the world, holding $50.7 billion in assets. It is controlled by its three trustees: Bill and Melinda Gates, and Warren Buffett (joined in 2006 with £30 billion pledge.)

It is guided by the belief that every life has equal value and works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In US, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life.