Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that data is integral to policymaking at an event on malaria. Parts of India have seen a spike in cases of mosquito-borne disease like malaria, chikungunya and dengue following rains, waterlogging and floods.
Speaking at the event, Sangma said that Meghalaya has been shooting in the dark in terms of policies for the last forty years, The Shillong Times reported.
He added that data-driven decision making is critical to ensuring that money invested by the government has desired outcomes.
He revealed that in Meghalaya, research in critical areas of development has been sketchy and that the actual numbers in maternal and infant mortality are not readily available.
Earlier, the Meghalaya CM had inaugurated the Centre for the Study of Complex Malaria in India (CSCMI) Malaria Research Laboratory and Master of Public Health Programme at the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Shillong. The event was also graced by Minister, Health & Family Welfare, AL Hek.
Sangam had said that the mosquito-borne disease malaria had been a cause of concern that has affected all though incidences of mortality in the last few years.
However, the CM had added that times are changing and the environment is also changing, thus giving rise to many and new vector-borne diseases. He added that institutes like the one he inaugurated will be a natural expansion to other vector-borne diseases and allow the government and policymakers to make the right decisions and be prepared to react to outbreaks.
The overall goal of the CSCMI is to develop the knowledge, tools, and evidence-based strategies needed to support Indian malaria intervention and control programs and to build research capacity in India.
At the recent event, Sangma pushed for genuine data, stating that to extract genuine value from data, it must be accurate as well and relevant to the aims and objectives of the government.