New Delhi, May 2: Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra and Deputy Ambassador of Norway Martine Aamdal Bottheim signed the documents for the 4th phase of Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) extending cooperation in various health schemes.

Under the initiative which commenced in 2006 various Indian states including Odisha, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and the UT of Jammu and Kashmir have received support to augment facilities in terms of maternal and child health care.

A health initiative between Government of India and Government of Norway, the Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) Phase 3 builds on experiences from NIPI 1 & 2 and focuses on areas of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.

Aligned with the development goals of Government of India as outlined in its National Health Policy (NHP) 2017 for achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, NIPI-3 is providing catalytic, strategic, technical support to NHM for scaling up of demonstrated best practices in aspirational districts, Strengthening Innovation Development Capacities in the public health system; and Documentation and Dissemination of NHM and NIPI interventions in five NIPI supported States and UT.

The cooperation will continue to innovate, improve and scale up quality continuum of care interventions at community and facility levels, and contribute effectively towards actualizing the Indian Government's National Health Policy (NHPs) Goals.

The Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) was established in 2006, based on an agreement between the Governments of Norway and India to make sustainable efforts to reduce Maternal, Newborn and Child Mortality in India. NIPI's aim is to provide strategic, catalytic and innovative support to India's National Health Mission (NHM) by testing scalable interventions in four high focus states of Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and UT of Jammu and Kashmir.

The first two phases of NIPI (2006-17) were highly successful and both the Governments of India and Norway agreed on the effective and positive outcomes of NIPI and the need to continue this partnership further. This led to signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Phase 3 between the Governments.

Phase 3 builds on the experience of Phase 1 & Phase 2. It will be scaled up to the aspirational districts and also establish an innovation hub. The best practices in maternal and newborn child health carried out under the National Health Mission and NIPI will be shared for global dissemination and learning.

(ANI)

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