By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Allaying fears of the students, the newly-appointed Director of the North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) Prof AG Ahangar said he would take all possible steps to see that that MBBS course of the institute gets the Medical Council of India (MCI) recognition within the next few months.
“We have another four to five months to prepare ourselves for putting up the necessary infrastructures before calling for the MCI to carry out an inspection to recognise the MBBS course of the institute,” Prof Ahangar said while addressing newsmen here on Tuesday.
The first batch of students is expected to pass out in the next two to three months.
“After which, they would require another two months to get their degree,” he said adding that the degree would be conferred by NEHU.
Stating he had earlier held the position of an assistant inspector in the MCI, he said he would try to use his long association with the MCI to expedite the recognition process.
The Director informed that the institute has already floated an advertisement for appointment of faculties in the institute.
“We are hoping to conduct the interview for the posts which have been advertised in coming weeks,” he said.
Informing that it would take a long time to get the requisite number of faculties in all the departments, he said that one should understand that the recruitment of the faculties is a ‘continuous process’.
When pointed out that doctors from other parts of the country are hesitant to come and work in NEIGRIHMS, he said that he was aware of this problem.
“I have come to this part to the country with specific goal in providing people from this region the best possible healthcare facilities,” Prof Ahangar said. He also assured that the doctors who come to work in the institute would be getting good incentives and other facilities. Referring to post-graduate courses, he said, “We would initially push to get MCI recognition only of those departments where we are fully equipped in terms of faculties and infrastructures,” Prof Ahangar said. “NEIGRIHMS so far is a derailed and defunct train that needs urgent repair to put it back on track and there is need to revitalize, rejuvenate the system, so as to create a true ‘island of excellence’ instead of inheriting a white elephant,” the Director said adding that the institute had not been “going forward” despite “investment of a lot of money and manpower”. “There are challenges ahead that I will have to surpass with the support and cooperation from all those who intends to see NEIGRIHMS as a global institute. There is need to rise up to the expectations of all the eight Northeastern States,” Prof Ahangar said.
The newly-appointed Director said that he would try his best to bring rigorous discipline and punctually in the work force while adding that he would also make efforts to complete the unfinished or incomplete tasks & projects including Human Resource Development in the field of healthcare.
He said his priorities included pushing for post doctoral, post graduate, under graduate, diploma and para-medical courses besides completing unfinished tasks and projects including human resource development in the field of health care.