New Delhi, October 31, 2025: The Government of India and the Royal Government of Norway have reaffirmed their long-standing partnership in public health through the annual meeting of the Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI), chaired by Union Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava and co-chaired by H.E. May-Elin Stener, Ambassador of Norway to India. The meeting reviewed the Progress Report 2025, and approved the work plan and budget for 2025–26, marking continued cooperation under the fourth phase of this joint initiative.
In her opening address, Smt. Srivastava emphasised that NIPI exemplifies how coordinated efforts between nations can lead to meaningful outcomes. She noted that India’s health architecture thrives on a similar spirit of convergence — integrating efforts across states, union territories, and central ministries through a whole-of-government approach to strengthen healthcare delivery.
Highlighting innovation as the core of NIPI’s success, the Health Secretary underscored India’s commitment to sharing successful models and best practices developed under the initiative for replication in other contexts. She also pointed to the significance of digital tools such as the Indian Public Health Standards–Open Data Kit (IPHS ODK), a technology developed under NIPI that enables states to conduct facility assessments, identify service gaps and receive targeted technical assistance efficiently.
Addressing the gathering, Ambassador May-Elin Stener commended India’s transformative progress in healthcare since the inception of NIPI in 2006. She noted that the collaboration has served as a catalyst for several innovations and highlighted that India’s investment in the programme now exceeds Norway’s contribution by more than twenty-six times — a testament to India’s sustained commitment to the partnership. The Ambassador also observed that the initiative continues to drive impactful results aligned with India’s pursuit of becoming a developed nation.
Participants reviewed several flagship outcomes of NIPI’s ongoing phase, including the establishment of an Innovation Hub within the National Health Mission (NHM), the development of a Decision Support System (DSS) algorithm to expand services under the Ayushman Arogya Mandir initiative, and models for pre-pregnancy and home-based care for mothers and newborns. Notable contributions also include the creation of a ‘Self-Care’ cervical-cancer screening model and the formulation of the Integrated Home-Based Care for Newborns and Children (HBNCC) Guidelines.
The Norway India Partnership Initiative, established in 2006, represents a bilateral commitment to support India’s National Health Mission (NHM) and its alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Operating across Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, NIPI serves as a platform for technical collaboration, innovation, and evidence-based health systems strengthening.
Over its previous three phases, the partnership has delivered measurable impact in maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes, supported knowledge generation, and institutionalised innovative service models. Now in its fourth phase, NIPI continues to contribute technical assistance, digital solutions, and scalable innovations that complement India’s national health priorities.
Senior officials from the Union Health Ministry, including Smt. Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary; Smt. Meera Srivastava, Joint Secretary; and Dr. Ashfaq Bhat, Programme Director, NIPI, attended the meeting along with representatives from the Royal Norwegian Embassy, counsellors, senior advisors, and health secretaries of participating states.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to continue advancing joint projects that promote innovation, capacity-building, and sustainable improvements in healthcare systems — reflecting two decades of enduring cooperation between India and Norway in the field of public health.
Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB) – Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
