Nagaland Demands Central Health Funding Reform To Recognise Tough Hilly Terrain

Kohima: Nagaland’s Health and Family Welfare Minister, P. Paiwang Konyak, has urged the Central Government to overhaul its National Health Mission (NHM) resource allocation formula, arguing that funding should consider geographical challenges rather than just population size.

Speaking at the 16th Conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare in New Delhi, Konyak stressed that the current population-heavy metrics disadvantage mountainous regions. He proposed a revised framework giving greater weightage to difficult terrain, extreme remoteness, dispersed tribal populations, and the baseline cost required to run essential medical facilities.

The minister called for region-specific budgeting under centrally sponsored schemes, pointing out that infrastructure construction and supply-chain logistics are significantly more expensive in hilly northeastern states. While thanking Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda for ongoing central assistance, Konyak emphasised that Nagaland requires targeted financial support to modernise its ageing primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare networks.

Appealing to the principles of cooperative federalism, Konyak noted that shifting away from generic allocation models is crucial for equitable development, ensuring that citizens in India's most remote border regions are not left behind in healthcare accessibility.

Also Read: Manipur Launches Phase II of ‘Operation Anchor’ With Biometric Drive for 500 Myanmar Refugees