Kohima: The Naga Scholars’ Association hosted a lecture on public health data, exposing deep gaps in regional research capacity and healthcare access. The event featured Dr. Raghunath Mandi of HelpAge India and Jasmine Maringmei, a policy analyst for the Meghalaya government. Experts scrutinized national datasets like the National Family Health Survey-6, the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India, and the Census of India.
Mandi flagged ongoing financial and geographic hurdles for the elderly. He argued that officials must stop relying on broad national averages. Policy needs to track if people actually get promised aid. He emphasized the need to identify those “who are left behind” despite aggregate improvements reflected in national health datasets.
Maringmei pushed for locally relevant, disaggregated evidence rather than mere volume. She labeled the absence of specific regional data a major policy failure. Policymakers often rely on data from the wrong contexts, she noted. The region also suffers from a chronic shortage of research professionals. Dr. Khaling Ngamphundar, who chaired the session, pressed attendees to scrutinize exactly who gets excluded from current research.
The webinar, which included Dr. Avei Vey from South Asian University, also tackled indigenous healing, nutrition, and government schemes. The session finished with a demand for rigorous, responsive research frameworks tailored to local community needs.
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