The Meghalaya government is planning to build 75 new health centres in remote areas that will be resilient to extreme weather conditions, officials said on Sunday.
Most health centres in far-flung areas of the state are susceptible to the variability of climate, affecting the well-being of patients, auxiliary nurses, and midwives who run and manage the facilities, they said. The state government has entrusted Sauramandala Foundation for capacity building and designs while Selco Foundation will be the technical partner for the project, they said.
“We are trying to incorporate sustainable designs in the structures in the areas of renewable energy and water conservation,” an official of the Sauramandala Foundation told PTI.
The designs will be such that the structures will be resilient to extreme cold, heavy winds, earthquakes, and landslides, the official said. The health centres will be designed to utilise bare minimum energy for light and ventilation and will be augmented with solar power and energy-efficient appliances, he said.
“This partnership between the Government of Meghalaya, Sauramandala Foundation (on-ground partner), and SELCO Foundation (technical knowledge partner) seeks to create a scalable model for the facilities to be, resilient and strongly equipped to meet the needs of the poorest communities,” the Sauramandala Foundation official said.
Each of these centres will be built at a cost of Rs 50 lakh.
Meanwhile, Sauramandala Foundation and Selco Foundation have successfully installed solar power in at least 100 health centres in remote villages of Meghalaya with the state government bearing 70 per cent of the cost.
