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A roundtable held at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong discussed ways to increase private sector participation in Meghalaya’s healthcare sector, with a focus on improving access, technology adoption, financing and workforce development.

The meeting, organised with the participation of Meghalaya’s Health and Family Welfare Department, GIZ, IIM Shillong, the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce and SustainMarkets, brought together government officials, German representatives, healthcare stakeholders and development partners.

Health Commissioner and Secretary Joram Beda said Meghalaya has introduced several innovations to improve healthcare delivery in remote areas, including the MOTHER App, drone-based medicine delivery, Rescue Mission and Transit Homes. He said the state has also extended financial support to charitable private hospitals and assisted in recruiting doctors for private institutions serving public health needs.

Additional Chief Secretary Sampath Kumar said Meghalaya’s difficult terrain has made innovation essential, highlighting the state’s Artificial Intelligence-enabled TB screening programme under which around 90,000 people have been screened. He also spoke about experiments using Virtual Reality in healthcare and efforts to expand Universal Health Coverage with greater focus on OPD and preventive care.

Discussions also explored preparing Meghalaya’s nursing workforce for overseas placements in countries such as Germany and Japan through language and skill training.

German representatives highlighted opportunities for Indo-German cooperation in medical technology, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals and digital health, while development partners discussed better use of district-level data and collaborative models to address healthcare challenges.

A panel discussion on healthcare financing examined ways to attract private investment without compromising public health priorities. Participants discussed outcome-based budgeting, low-cost patient financing and the need for coordinated funding mechanisms aligned with Meghalaya’s priorities, particularly for rural areas facing connectivity challenges.

The roundtable identified several focus areas, including specialised training for medical officers, all-weather drug delivery systems, telemedicine support in local languages, better integration of public and private health data, and aligning CSR investments with healthcare needs.

Participants also proposed preparing a state-wide stakeholder map of medical needs and developing pilot projects to strengthen public-private partnerships in healthcare delivery.