Jharkhand’s National Health Mission has signed memorandums of understanding with three organisations to strengthen public healthcare delivery and improve maternal and child health outcomes across the state. The agreements with PHIA Foundation, Bharathiya Vikas Trust and Tata Steel Foundation will combine technology testing, health-system support and district-level maternal and newborn interventions.
The agreements were signed on Monday, according to a statement cited by the National Health Mission, Jharkhand. The partnerships will focus on improving the delivery of healthcare services, supporting innovation and strengthening systems that serve mothers, newborns, infants and children.
Under the separate agreements with PHIA Foundation and Bharathiya Vikas Trust, NHM will launch the District Health Sandbox initiative in Sahibganj, West Singhbhum, Khunti, Koderma and Seraikela-Kharsawan. Selected healthcare facilities in these districts will be used to test new healthcare technologies and medical devices before any wider adoption.
The sandbox model is intended to give the health system a controlled setting in which new tools can be assessed during actual service delivery. The announcement did not specify the technologies or medical devices that will be tested, nor did it provide details of the facilities selected for the initial phase.
NHM has also entered into a three-year partnership with Tata Steel Foundation. The collaboration will focus on strengthening public health systems, improving service delivery and advancing maternal, neonatal, infant and child health indicators in the state.
Through its MANSI+ programme, Tata Steel Foundation will continue maternal and newborn health interventions in East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan. The programme is part of the partnership’s district-level work on maternal and newborn care, although the statement did not provide targets or performance figures for the interventions.
The foundation will also implement Project SWASTH in 10 districts. The districts named in the announcement include Ranchi, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Ramgarh and Dumka. The project’s coverage will extend beyond facility-based care to include outreach services, health governance, human resources, supply chain management and public-private partnerships.
The focus on these areas places the agreements within the operational side of public healthcare, where service outcomes depend not only on clinical care but also on staffing, supplies, outreach and administrative coordination. The announcement, however, did not disclose the financial value of the partnerships, staffing commitments, procurement arrangements or implementation milestones.
NHM mission director Shashi Prakash Jha said the partnerships would support evidence-based planning, strengthen frontline healthcare systems and improve access to quality care across Jharkhand. His statement linked the collaborations to planning and system capacity rather than to a single facility or medical programme.
The immediate next steps will involve the rollout of the District Health Sandbox in the five identified districts, the continuation of MANSI+ interventions in three districts and the implementation of Project SWASTH across 10 districts. Further details on the technologies to be tested, facility selection, funding and measurable health targets were not included in the announcement.
