Shillong, September 15: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday inaugurated three Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) in Shillong to strengthen preventive and last-mile healthcare services across Mawpat, Pynursla and Baghmara.
Supported by Altius under its corporate social responsibility initiative and implemented by Apollo Foundation–Total Health, the units are expected to cover 93 villages with a combined population of over two lakh people.
According to baseline catchment mapping conducted by Apollo Foundation–Total Health, the MMUs will serve nearly 45 villages in Mawpat and 26 in Pynursla, both in East Khasi Hills district, and 22 villages in Baghmara, South Garo Hills district.
Each unit will be staffed by doctors and trained medical personnel and equipped with essential primary-care equipment, medicines and technology-enabled electronic medical record services.
The medical teams will provide consultations, basic diagnostic tests, treatment and follow-up care within the communities. Patients requiring further investigation or specialised treatment will be referred to appropriate higher healthcare facilities.
The programme will focus particularly on preventing, screening and managing non-communicable diseases. The units will conduct regular medical outreach and health education while supporting patients requiring continued care.
They will also serve as a platform for targeted interventions based on community requirements, including cancer screening and vision-health services.
Addressing the gathering, Sangma said the state government had prioritised health and education since 2018 to ensure that the benefits of development reached every citizen.
“While infrastructure and GDP are important, it is meaningless if the benefits cannot reach every citizen. That is why health and education have been given top priority,” he said.
The Chief Minister said technology had played an important role in helping the government identify problems and develop focused interventions in the social sectors.
Stressing that the success of the initiative would be measured by its outcomes, Sangma said launching the units was only the beginning.
“The real happiness will come when we save lives, when we are able to provide medicine to a child and when we are able to attend to the poor, the needy and the elderly,” he said.
He cautioned that the programme would be meaningless if the vehicles remained unused in parking areas, adding that the focus must remain on patients and the lives saved.
Sangma described the initiative as a potential “major game changer” for last-mile healthcare delivery in Meghalaya. He also underlined the need for stronger digital connectivity to support technology-enabled health interventions, citing feedback received during the CM Connect public-interaction programme.
Altius and Apollo Foundation–Total Health reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the Meghalaya government in strengthening the state’s public healthcare system.
