Nongstoin, Oct 15: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Thursday formally declared the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Hospital in Nongstoin operational, marking a major step towards improving maternal and newborn healthcare in West Khasi Hills.
Built at a cost of ₹31.05 crore, the hospital is equipped with an outpatient department (OPD), laboratory, emergency unit, labour room, intensive care unit (ICU), Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and operation theatre complex.
The hospital was prioritised against the backdrop of high maternal and infant mortality rates in West Khasi Hills. Its operationalisation is expected to reduce the need to refer high-risk pregnant women and critically ill newborns to Shillong for specialised care.
Residents raised the facility as an issue during the Chief Minister’s CM Connect programme, which Sangma said was designed to bring grassroots concerns directly to the government.
After the programme launched, senior Health Department officials inspected the facility in November 2025 and reviewed staffing, equipment, and supply requirements before making it operational.
Sangma said CM Connect was intended to ensure that public grievances reached the highest levels of government and were addressed by the concerned departments.
He described the initiative as a form of participatory democracy and said the Prime Minister’s Office had asked him to present it as a best practice to other chief ministers.
“Governance comes with its own burden of complaints, pressure and demands, but that is precisely why we are here. We can’t afford to run away from it. We have to face it head-on,” he said.
A District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) has also been proposed at the hospital to facilitate the screening and early treatment of developmental delays and disabilities in children.
The land for the hospital was donated by a private landowner, whom the chief minister felicitated during the programme. Sangma also handed over an ambulance donated by IDBI Bank under its corporate social responsibility initiative to the Health Department.
Minister Methodius Dkhar, Nongstoin MLA Gabriel Wahlang and Rangsakona MLA R.G. Momin were present at the event.
₹498 crore road projects in focus
Alongside the hospital’s operationalisation, Sangma highlighted road infrastructure investments aimed at improving connectivity in West Khasi Hills and neighbouring areas.
The state has lined up road projects worth ₹498.31 crore across key routes connecting Nongstoin and surrounding areas.
The largest investment is the ₹383.91-crore upgradation of the 35-km Maweit–Nongjri section of the Nongstoin–Maweit–Nongjri road, which connects Nongstoin with Ranikor in South West Khasi Hills.
Other projects include the ₹63.01-crore Nongstoin–Maweit section under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), the ₹22.27-crore Sohpian–Nongstoin road, whose foundation stone was laid on Thursday, and the ₹29.12-crore Nongkhlaw–Byrki–Umdohlun road project, including two bridges under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-III.
The chief minister directed the Public Works Department and contractors to maintain construction quality, with particular attention to road shoulders, footpaths and drainage.
Other projects launched
During the visit, Sangma laid the foundation stones for the Golden Jubilee Garden at Nongstoin and a new building for the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET).
With West Khasi Hills marking 50 years, he called for a long-term development roadmap for the district, with constituency-wise and district-wise targets for the next three, five, 10 and 50 years.
He said projects worth nearly ₹900 crore had been implemented across sectors in West Khasi Hills over the past eight years. He cited the sanctioning of the ₹450-crore Sutnga–Saipung road as another example of infrastructure development, noting that the road had not been built since Meghalaya attained statehood.
Sangma urged government officials to remain responsive to public concerns and treat their responsibilities as an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives.
“Don’t take your position for granted. God has given you this opportunity. Ten seconds of your time can change somebody’s life. Be the change you want to see,” he told the officials.
Also Read: JJM taps dry since 4 months in Shella villages, HYC demands urgent restoration
Also Watch:
Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.
Also, Follow us on-
Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub
Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020
Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub
Download our app from playstore – Northeast Media Hub
The post Nongstoin MCH Hospital operational to reduce referrals of high-risk mothers and newborns to Shillong appeared first on Hub News.