UNICEF, NEC to promote emergency preparedness in NE's health sector

SHILLONG: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) India and the North Eastern Council (NEC) have agreed to work together to strengthen disaster resilience in the northeastern public health sector for response in case of any emergency.
Initially, the UNICEF State Office for Assam will be organising a regional consultation programme on 'Emergency Preparedness for Public Health Sector' for Sikkim, Meghalaya, Tripura and Assam.During the first phase that is scheduled to begin in August, all the concerned departments of the state government, like Health and Family Welfare Department, PHED, will have follow-up consultations and plan measures with special focus on the Aspirational Districts of the states.
A meeting chaired by Ram Muivah, secretary of NEC at the council headquarters in Shillong on Tuesday with a team from UNICEF which included Ashish Dadwal, health specialist, Anand P Kar, risk and resilience programme officer and Nishant Borgohain, DDR & CCA consultant with the NEC, agreed on the initiative to promote safety measures in the northeast..
NEC, formed in 1971, is the agency for the economic and social development of the northeast. "The NEC has been instrumental in setting in motion a new economic endeavour aimed at removing the basic handicaps that stood in the way of normal development of the region and has ushered in an era of new hope in this backward area full of great potentialities. The main objective of the Council is to ensure the balanced and integrated economic development of the North Eastern parts of the country," an official release read.
UNICEF, which began its work in India in 1949 with three staff members, currently advocates for the rights of India's children in 16 states. "The UNICEF's goal is to advance the rights of children, adolescents and women to survival, growth, development, participation and protection by reducing inequities based on caste, ethnicity, gender, poverty, region or religion. It aims to involve families and community members in understanding their contribution to ensure their children thrive while providing a platform for young community champions to emerge and inspire. UNICEF uses community level knowledge and quality research to comprehend issues, create and introduce easily implementable innovative interventions that address the situation of children, and works with partners to create ground level change," the release added.