Shillong, Oct 14: Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on Monday said the setting up of the Shillong Medical College is progressing very positively.
Speaking to media persons, Lyngdoh said, “We are on the road towards achieving the institutioning of a second medical college run by the government in the state of Meghalaya. Hopefully very soon (we will complete the process). We have already said we are targeting 2025-2026. We are on track for that.”
Stating that certain important steps have been taken, the minister said, “The one thing that is left pending today is the service rules that is now still on the purview by the personnel department and once those service rules and other modalities are decided and accordingly passed, we should be on the road towards the setting up of this medical college.”
Lyngdoh informed that the department has already submitted an application for affiliation with the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU).
“The NEHU has already sat with the department of health but again all of this will be disclosed and be available for scrutiny by the public as and when they are completed. We should not disclose anything until the correct authorities’ take these decisions,” she said while adding “Now, we are completing all the modalities and procedures, very difficult because it entails a lot of official communications, it entails a lot of other requirements, which we need to conform too. Most importantly are the service rules.”
On the status of the Tura medical college, the minister said that the construction of the building infrastructure is going on in full swing.
“Tura is also progressing very well. The construction is way ahead. Very recently the Chief Minister has visited that site and I have also been briefed accordingly but we are still then in the process of completing the infrastructure building,” she added.
On the PA Sangma International Medical College by the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) that has recently got approval for intake of 150 students into MBBS course by the National Medical Council (NMC), Lyngdoh informed that the Health Department is in the process of drafting a Cabinet Memo to formalize the counselling procedure for admissions, ensuring it complies with legal standards.
She assured that the state of Meghalaya stands to benefit significantly from the seat allocation at the newly established medical institution.
