1,000-day project child-centric: Ampareen
Minister speaks at workshop on immunisation; about 12k zero-dose children in state, says UNICEF

Shillong, Jan 20: The state government has initiated a 1,000-day project that is targeted at better healthcare for mother and child.
Speaking at a workshop in the city on Monday, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said the project, which is child-centric, started recently.
The project will stress the need for mothers to allow a gap of 1,000 days before conceiving again.
“The project will be child-centric as we already have a mother-centric project. We will strengthen this project over time and incentivise it,” said the minister.
Lyngdoh was speaking on the sidelines of the media workshop on immunisation and child health. It was organised by the Centre for Development and Peace Studies, Guwahati, in collaboration with UNICEF.
UNICEF has been collaborating with the state government in immunisation programmes. Members of UNICEF shared their experiences and spoke about the various intervention programmes in Meghalaya.
There are about 12,000 zero-dose children in the state. Of them, 5,000 are in the seven districts where the state is working closely with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI), which functions as a public-private partnership. The seven districts are North and East Garo Hills; East, West and South West Khasi Hills; West Jaintia Hills and Ri Bhoi.
Poverty and vaccination
UNICEF’s Purvi Malhotra pointed out that vaccination is a cost-effective healthcare intervention and a way of reducing poverty.
According to a 2016 study, for every US$ 1 spent on immunisation, US$ 16 is saved in healthcare costs, lost wages and lost productivity due to illness. “Taking into account the broader benefits of people living longer, healthier lives, the return on investment rises to US$ 44 per US$ 1 spent,” the study noted.
To achieve the immunisation target, UNICEF is helping “the state improve the cold chain” that is essential for storing and transporting vaccines, said Rakesh Singh Konsam, UNICEF health officer in the North East.
Interventions in Meghalaya
Speaking about the activities at the grassroots level, UNICEF’s Georgina Lamare said health workers are roping in various stakeholders.
“During our work in Ri Bhoi, we found that fathers blatantly rejected their responsibility in their children’s healthcare or vaccination. So, we targeted fathers’ intervention,” Lamare said.
Besides, UNICEF is approaching religious leaders to reach out to more potential beneficiaries.