Jury Favourite Interview: Purpose & Leadership to Save Lives, Meghalaya, India

This session will feature the project showcase video of this year’s international programme Jury Favourite and a discussion with the project leaders, moderated by jury members Anke Gruendel and Chikako Masuda. The conversation will explore the project’s innovative approach to public health governance, its impact, and key lessons for addressing complex public sector challenges.

The selected project is "Building Purpose and Leadership Among Government & Citizens to Transform Health." This initiative addresses the high maternal mortality in Meghalaya, India, where a dispersed population across 6,000 remote villages made traditional top-down interventions ineffective. By establishing village health councils and cross-sectoral teams, the project empowered local communities to identify and address their own challenges. Strengthening collaboration, trust, and shared purpose unlocked local innovation, leading to systemic reforms such as the creation of citizen-run transit homes, ensuring expectant mothers could access timely healthcare. As a result, maternal mortality in the state dropped by nearly 50% between 2021 and 2023.

By State Capability Enhancement Project of the Government Innovation Lab, Government of Meghalaya | India