Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation co-chairperson and founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates was in Patna on May 12, 2010 for a one-day tour to Bihar.Bill Gates visited two villages in Khagaria and Banka districts of Bihar.
Referring to his visit Gates said at a press conference in Patna later in the day that he visited Guleria village in Khagaria and Tetariya village in Banka district where the Foundation had started work and reviewed health programmes pertaining to poliokala-azar and tuberculosis eradication and schemes for reduction in maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate.
The foundation also signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Health Department of the Bihar Government to develop and implement innovative solution and accelerate improvements in maternal, newborn and child health.
It would also improve the delivery of timely diagnosis and appropriate care for tuberculosis, pneumonia, diarrhoea using the public and private sectors to improve the reach and coverage and quality of health services, Gates said.
The foundation had initially decided to carry forward its programmes in Khagqria, Banka, Begusarai, Saharsa, Samastipur, Gopalganj, East and West Champaran districts, besides Patna.
The MoC would also promote appropriate health practices through behaviour change communication and demand creation, strengthen grassroots mechanisms for communities to monitor and hold service providers accountable to ensure timely and predictable delivery of health services in public and private sectors, an official in Bihar Government Health Department said.
The foundation also signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Health Department of the Bihar Government to develop and implement innovative solution and accelerate improvements in maternal, newborn and child health.
It would also improve the delivery of timely diagnosis and appropriate care for tuberculosis, pneumonia, diarrhoea using the public and private sectors to improve the reach and coverage and quality of health services, Gates said.
The foundation had initially decided to carry forward its programmes in Khagqria, Banka, Begusarai, Saharsa, Samastipur, Gopalganj, East and West Champaran districts, besides Patna.
The MoC would also promote appropriate health practices through behaviour change communication and demand creation, strengthen grassroots mechanisms for communities to monitor and hold service providers accountable to ensure timely and predictable delivery of health services in public and private sectors, an official in Bihar Government Health Department said.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation would provide technical, management and programme design support via NGOs and other partners in maternal, neonatal and child health, family planning, maternal and child nutrition, vaccine for polio, routine immunisation and new vaccine introduction, pneumonia, diarrhoea, TB and kala-azar.
The state government would provide support as per sanctioned government plans to achieve the objectives of the memorandum, implement the projects defined in approved grant agreements and to scale up approaches statewide, the official added.
The state government would provide support as per sanctioned government plans to achieve the objectives of the memorandum, implement the projects defined in approved grant agreements and to scale up approaches statewide, the official added.
Photos: Aftab Alam Siddiqui
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