Union Health Secy chairs annual meeting of Norway-India Partnership Initiative

New Delhi [India], October 31 : Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava on Friday chaired the annual meeting of the Norway-India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) held in New Delhi. May-Elin Stener, Norway's Ambassador to India, co-chaired the meeting, a release said.

The meeting aimed to review and approve the NIPI Progress Report 2025 and the budgeted work plans for 2025-26 under Phase IV of the initiative, according to an official release from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Addressing the occasion, Punya Salila Srivastava stated, "NIPI displays how convergence of efforts can yield results. GoI is also involved in convergence with states and UTs, through a whole-of-government approach for achieving desired outcomes." Noting that India serves as a good testing ground for innovation, the Union Health Secretary underlined India's commitment to sharing best practices under the initiative for replication in other settings.

Srivastava also highlighted the significance of the IPHS ODK (Indian Public Health Standards - Open Data Kit) Tool, developed under the initiative, which facilitates assessments and helps states quickly identify gaps and receive targeted support to achieve the required standards. She concluded her address by reaffirming the Union Health Ministry's appreciation for this partnership and its commitment to continuing the collaboration.

Speaking on the occasion, HE May-Elin Stener highlighted that next year will mark 20 years of this partnership. She stated that there have been innovative and catalytic interventions through this partnership, which have helped in bringing significant results.

Stener noted that the Indian government has invested 26 times the amount Norway spent under this initiative, which highlights the importance being given to this collaboration. India has a clear goal of becoming a developed country, and this is evident in the work being done at the grassroots level. Commitment to health services is crucial for the development of Indian healthcare. There have been significant developments in the health sector in India since this partnership started in 2006," she stated.

As per the release, key deliverables of the initiative, such as the IPHS ODK Toolkit, establishment of an Innovation Hub within NHM, development of a Decision Support System (DSS) algorithm for the extended provision of services under Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM), creation of a Pre-Pregnancy Care Model, a 'Self-Care' Cervical Cancer Screening Model, and the formulation of Integrated Home-Based Care for Newborns and Children (HBNCC) Guidelines, along with their outcomes, were discussed through a presentation.

The Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) is based on an agreement between the Governments of Norway and India to collaborate towards achieving India's National Health Policy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). NIPI's vision is to provide strategic, catalytic and innovative support to India's National Health Mission (NHM), in states of Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir, as per the release.

The partnership has completed three phases and is currently in its fourth phase, providing crucial technical support to the MoHFW and NHMs of partner states. So far, NIPI has enabled the implementation of various health innovations, knowledge generation, and documentation products, serving as a platform for strengthening evidence-based health systems.

The partnership is governed by an annual meeting and a joint steering committee meeting between the Governments of India and Norway, as well as the implementing agency. The meeting is chaired by the Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and co-chaired by the Ambassador of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi, with the Additional Secretary and Mission Director (NHM) as the convener.

According to the release, this meeting sets priorities for, and discusses results from, the partnership, as well as approves reports and work plans prepared by the implementing partner.

Aradhana Patnaik, Addl. Secretary, Union Health Ministry; Meera Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry; Dr Ashfaq Bhat, Program Director, NIPI; Are Nagoda, Counsellor, Royal Norwegian Embassy; Undis Vatvedt Singh, Senior Advisor; Royal Norwegian Embassy; Principal Health Secretaries/Mission Directors of NIPI supported states (Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar) and senior officials of the Union Health Ministry were present at the event.

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