Tuensang, June 8 (MExN): A 10-bedded Health Centre at Longpang, Tuensang, which also happens to be the first Public Private Partnership (PPP) project in Nagaland, was on June 7 inaugurated by Alemtemshi Jamir, Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner of Nagaland. This Health Centre, which is situated 26kms from Tuensang town, is the result of collective efforts put in by eleven villages and facilitated by the Eleutheros Christian Society (ECS).
Speaking on the occasion, Jamir expressed appreciation for the bold step taken by ECS and the 11 villages in initiating the Health Centre and also the orange/banana plantation program covering 500 hectares, funded by NABARD. He added that this is one step towards globalisation, and encouraged more initiative from the community which in turn will lessen government dependency and make the state competent to bid for global contracts to supply a large quantity of horticulture produce. The citrus plantation is expected to yield 5000 tonnes of oranges in the next six to seven years, 10% of the income of which will go to support the Health Centre.
Limsong, Secretary for Health & Family Welfare Nagaland and MD NRHM, who officially launched the PHC, noted this as the first Public Private Partnership (PPP) project in Nagaland and stressed on the significance of such a noble attempt coming from a remote area like Tuensang.
The secretary for ECS thanked John Menukhol, Commissioner and Secretary (Health), for guiding the thinking process in actualising the convergence of services. The other projects in the pipeline are the establishment of CIC at the centre for telemedicine services, construction of a channel-based 700 KW hydro project by NEPED to support a cold storage, health insurance policy, upgrading of the Middle School to a High School, and establishing a bank in the project area. It is hoped that with all these services, the migration of the rural youth to urban areas will be discouraged.
