Cabinet approves MoC between health ministry and Gates Foundation on improving health sector

In a bid to improve the healthcare system of the country, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its ex-post-facto approval on the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between Union Health Ministry and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).

The Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) covers the following areas like to reduce maternal, neonatal and child morbidity and mortality, improve key nutrition outcomes, by improving the reach, coverage and quality of essential primary health, immunization and nutrition services.

The memorandum will also focus on the quality of family planning methods and to reach out to younger women.

The focus is also made on to reduce the burden of infectious diseases such as TB, Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL), Lymphatic Filariasis (LF)] while on the other hand, it will plan to strengthen health systems, including budget utilization, management, skills of human resources for health, digital health, strengthening supply chains and monitoring systems.

The cabinet has also decided that a Program Action Committee (PAC) will be set up to further elaborate the details of cooperation and to oversee the implementation of this MoC.

Last year in November, MOC was signed with the union health ministry during the visit of Bill Gates, Co-Chair and Trustee of BMGF to Delhi.