Tura, Oct 15, 2025: The Indian Institute of Public Health–Shillong (IIPHS), in collaboration with the India Primary Health Care Support Initiative (IPSI), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the Government of Meghalaya, today launched the Coaching Primary Health Teams Intervention at the Working Women’s Hostel, Mission Compound, Tura.

The initiative is part of IPSI’s broader effort to strengthen Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) services and reinforce the Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centre (HWC) initiative in Meghalaya. The program aims to enhance teamwork, leadership, and accountability among primary health care providers, ultimately improving community health outcomes.

The event began with a welcome address by Isabella Syiem of IIPHS, followed by opening remarks from Prof. Sandra Albert, Director, IIPHS. Dr. Tiameren Jamir, Registrar and Co-Principal Investigator, IPSI, presented an overview of the initiative and its coaching framework, while Madhavi Misra, Senior Program Manager, IPSI (Johns Hopkins University), shared experiences from the successful Bhavnagar pilot.

Special addresses were delivered by Dr. Jakrambal Sangma, District Medical & Health Officer (DMHO), West Garo Hills, and Dr. S. Boro, Joint Director of Health Services, Garo Hills Division, who both emphasized the importance of capacity building and teamwork in strengthening primary healthcare delivery.

The Coaching Primary Health Teams Intervention was formally launched by Ramakrishna Chitturi, Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Government of Meghalaya. In his address, he noted that the initiative will enhance the functioning of Health and Wellness Centres through structured training and mentoring for nurses and other staff. He announced that 20 coaches have been selected from various Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to guide and mentor teams across the state — a major step toward improving frontline healthcare delivery.

Benjamin D. Tariang, MCS, Assistant Commissioner, West Garo Hills, launched the coaching kit books and distributed materials to the selected coaches. He highlighted the value of teamwork in effective healthcare, remarking that “good medicines alone cannot solve all health challenges,” using a football analogy to illustrate that unity and coordination among team members are key to achieving better outcomes. He further added that the intervention will make healthcare more accessible to communities and continue to strengthen Meghalaya’s positive health indicators.

Speaking to the media, Dr. Tiameren Jamir explained that the program is designed to develop mentors and coaches within the primary health system, where PHC doctors will act as coaches for HWCs under their jurisdiction. The initiative aims to build stronger collaboration between PHCs and Sub-Centres, improving service quality, data use, and community outreach across Meghalaya.

The 10-month program, to be implemented across 27 Health and Wellness Centres in the Rongram, Tikrikilla, Selsella, and Dalu blocks of West Garo Hills, will include five structured coaching modules focused on teamwork, leadership, communication, and service quality improvement.j

The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Dolly Nongbet, Project Coordinator (State), IPSI, followed by a group photo session and lunch.

IPSI is a collaborative initiative of the Johns Hopkins University, Indian Institute of Public Health–Shillong, AIIMS–New Delhi, and the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The initiative seeks to strengthen India’s primary health care systems and accelerate progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC).