Health & Family Welfare
Maternal and child health services, immunisation, home-based newborn and young child care, and developmental screening across Meghalaya
The Department of Health & Family Welfare delivers essential maternal and child health services through the National Health Mission (NHM) framework. Under MECDM, the department ensures that every pregnant woman receives quality antenatal care, every newborn is screened and supported through home visits, every child is fully immunised, and developmental delays are identified early through systematic screening programmes.
Overview
The Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Meghalaya, is responsible for ensuring the health and well-being of mothers and children across the state. Through the National Health Mission (NHM) — launched in 2013 by subsuming the National Rural Health Mission and National Urban Health Mission — the department delivers a comprehensive package of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCH+A) services.
Within the MECDM convergence model, the Health department ensures that children are physically and developmentally ready to learn. Good health is the first pillar of Nurturing Care, and the department's services — from antenatal care to immunisation, from home-based newborn care to developmental screening — form the foundation upon which nutrition, education, and community support are built.
The department's frontline workforce — ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists), ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwives), and Medical Officers at Primary Health Centres — work in close coordination with Anganwadi Workers (managed by Social Welfare) and ECD Educators (deployed by Community & Rural Development) to deliver integrated health, nutrition, and early stimulation services at the community level.
Maternal Health
Maternal health is the starting point of the ECD continuum. The department ensures that every pregnant woman in Meghalaya has access to quality antenatal care (ANC) through a package that includes at least four ANC visits, TT immunisation, haemoglobin testing, urine testing, blood group and Rh factor determination, RPR/VDRL screening, HBsAg testing, and HIV screening. Every woman is provided with a Mother and Child Protection (MCP) Card to track her health throughout pregnancy and the child's development through the first few years of life.
Under the NHM Safe Motherhood programme, pregnant women receive 180 Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) tablets (each containing 60mg elemental iron and 500 micrograms folic acid, one tablet daily) and 360 calcium tablets (each containing 500mg calcium and 250 IU vitamin D3, two tablets daily starting from the second trimester) to prevent anaemia and support bone health. The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) provides Rs 5,000 in three instalments to support institutional delivery and postnatal care.
The department also addresses maternal mental health — a growing concern worldwide. Research shows that approximately 10% of pregnant women and 13% of women who have just given birth experience a mental disorder, primarily depression. In low- and middle-income settings like parts of Meghalaya, these rates are even higher — approximately 16% during pregnancy and 20% after childbirth. The department works to integrate mental health screening and support into routine ANC services.
Home-Based Newborn & Young Child Care
The Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC) programme, launched in 2011 under NHM, is designed to accelerate the reduction of neonatal mortality and morbidity, especially in rural and remote areas. Under HBNC, the ASHA makes scheduled visits to every newborn up to the first 42 days of life — six visits for institutional deliveries (on the 3rd, 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, and 42nd days after birth) and an additional visit within 24 hours for home deliveries.
During these visits, the ASHA assesses the newborn for danger signs, monitors weight gain, promotes early and exclusive breastfeeding, ensures warmth through skin-to-skin contact, and counsels the family on essential newborn care practices. Any danger signs identified trigger immediate referral to the nearest health facility.
The Home-Based Care for Young Child (HBYC) programme extends this home visit model beyond the neonatal period. Launched in 2018 as part of NHM and POSHAN Abhiyaan, HBYC provides five incentivised home visits by the ASHA at months 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 after birth. During these visits, the ASHA counsels on exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding, weighs the child and plots growth charts, checks immunisation status, distributes ORS and IFA syrup, monitors for danger signs, and identifies any delays in growth or development. The ASHA receives Rs 250 per child for completing the full cycle of HBYC visits.
HBNC & HBYC Visit Schedule
HBNC Visits
Days 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 42 (+ day 1 for home births)
HBYC Visits
Months 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 after birth
ASHA Incentive
Per child for completing full HBYC cycle
Coverage Period
From birth through 15 months of age
Immunisation
Routine immunisation is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions. The department delivers the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) across Meghalaya, ensuring every child receives the full schedule of vaccinations against preventable diseases including tuberculosis (BCG), polio (OPV/IPV), diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus (DPT), hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), measles, rubella, and rotavirus.
Vitamin A supplementation is provided alongside immunisation contacts — the first dose at 9 months along with the measles vaccine, followed by doses every 6 months until the age of 5 years. This protects against blindness, reduces mortality from common childhood illnesses, and supports immune function. The department also conducts Pulse Polio campaigns and intensified mission Indradhanush drives to reach unreached and partially vaccinated children in remote and hard-to-access areas.
Under MECDM, the department coordinates with Anganwadi Centres (managed by Social Welfare) to use AWC premises as immunisation points, maintain cold chain logistics, and track immunisation coverage through the MCP Card and digital health records.
RBSK & Developmental Screening
The Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) is a systematic approach to child health screening. RBSK screens children from birth to 18 years for four categories of health conditions — the "4Ds": Defects at birth, Diseases, Deficiencies, and Developmental delays (including disability). The programme covers screening for 32 common health conditions across these four categories.
Screening is delivered through dedicated mobile health teams that visit Anganwadi Centres and primary schools on a biannual basis. Children are screened in three age categories: 0–6 weeks (at the health facility), 6 weeks–6 years (at Anganwadi Centres), and 6–18 years (at government and government-aided schools). The screening is completely free, and any conditions identified are referred for treatment — including surgeries and corrective procedures — at no cost to the family.
The department is also piloting the Guide for Monitoring Child Development (GMCD) — an evidence-based tool for systematic developmental screening of children aged 0–42 months. GMCD enables frontline health workers to identify developmental delays early and refer children for timely intervention, significantly improving long-term outcomes.