Pessao PHC’s five-year MoU has expired without the promised upgrade, leaving its future and State takeover uncertain.
DIMAPUR — The five-year agreement to develop and support the Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Pessao in Mon district has expired without the promised upgraded facility becoming operational, raising questions over the next phase of the project and the state government’s proposed takeover.
The tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on May 6, 2021, between The Hans Foundation, Pessao Village Council and Health & Family Welfare Department, Nagaland government, was valid for five years, until May 5, 2026. The agreement envisaged transforming the existing PHC into a fully functional 24x7 health centre compliant with Indian Public Health Standards.
The upgraded facility was intended to serve not only Pessao but at least six adjoining villages in Yongkhao area, with the project covering infrastructure development, medical equipment, additional manpower, training, community outreach and health awareness.
Also read: Nagaland: 5 years after promise, Pessao village still waits for hospital
Under the agreement, The Hans Foundation was tasked with rebuilding the PHC building and staff quarters, providing necessary equipment including cold-chain facilities, supporting additional human resources and establishing a Project Management Unit to oversee implementation. The Foundation was also to support training of PHC staff, frontline workers and community members and develop a referral network linking PHC Pessao with CHC Tobu and District Hospital Mon.
The project also envisaged measures such as rainwater harvesting, renewable energy and biomedical waste management, where feasible, besides baseline and end-line surveys to assess its impact.
The MoU provided for the Health department to assume responsibility for service delivery and eventual takeover of the facility after the five-year support period. It envisaged phased deployment of one doctor, three nurses, one laboratory technician and one pharmacist, based on performance evaluation of the PHC.
The department was also to establish a cold-chain point under the Universal Immunisation Programme, ensure regular supplies of medicines, consumables and equipment, and facilitate enrolment of eligible beneficiaries under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY. Continued implementation of programmes including Janani Suraksha Yojana and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram was also provided for.
The MoU further envisaged community participation through the village health committee and health centre management committee, with the Pessao Village Council responsible for local mobilisation and logistical support. The village was also to help repair and reconnect the existing piped-water supply and ensure access to water for the PHC complex.
The additional infrastructure and equipment created under the project were to be handed over to the Health department or the health centre management committee upon completion of the five-year support period.
The agreement could be renewed mutually, while any party could terminate it by giving the other two parties six months’ prior written notice.
The expiry of the MoU comes as the Pessao health-centre project continues to face delays. Eastern Mirror had earlier reported on the prolonged delay in the INR 2.5 crore project to upgrade the PHC and the difficulties faced by residents in accessing healthcare.
The civil construction component has also remained incomplete despite repeated assurances and interventions. The delay has left residents dependent on makeshift arrangements for healthcare, including the use of a private school and, when the school rooms are occupied, the PHC waiting shed as a ward.
The PHC was proposed to be developed on 8.24 acres of government land at Pessao village. With the five-year support period having ended, the status of the proposed handover—and whether the MoU will be renewed to allow the project to be completed—remains unclear.
The development raises questions over who will now assume responsibility for completing the unfinished infrastructure and delivering the services envisaged under the 2021 agreement to Pessao and the surrounding villages.