Shillong (Meghalaya), June 24: Meghalaya’s Health & Family Welfare Department clinched the SKOCH Award 2026 for putting artificial intelligence on breast cancer duty in the state’s hardest-to-reach villages.
The award came at the 108th SKOCH Summit in New Delhi on June 20, spotlighting a pilot that uses AI-based thermal screening to catch risks early. The tech moves with health teams into remote areas, pairing scans with community outreach, referrals, and follow-ups so diagnosis doesn’t get stuck in transit.
Carolinda Iangrai, Additional Director of Health Services, and Tenneychell Khongrangjem, State Epidemiologist, received the award on behalf of the state.
So far, 1,683 women have been screened under the programme. High-risk cases were flagged and sent for clinical evaluation, closing a gap where distance and delay often cost lives.
The department said the win belongs to frontline workers and programme staff who carried the tech up the last mile. With the SKOCH nod, Meghalaya is doubling down on evidence-based, tech-led care — aiming to make preventive health faster, fairer, and closer to home.
