From Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi: Rajya Sabha member from Meghalaya, Ms Wansuk Syiem, on Friday demanded for immediate opening of a medical college in Tura to meet the acute shortage of doctors in the hill state.
Making a special mention in the Rajya Sabha, Syiem said that NEIGRIHMS has 50 MBBS seats out of which only nine are reserved for domiciles of the State. The hill state has no other medical college and the Planning Commission has identified it as a ‘deficit state’ as far as medical facilities are concerned, she said.
The State has identified land for a medical college in Tura and submitted a proposal to the Union Government too, Syiem said, adding that the same can be done on PPP model also.
Meghalaya’s health indicators are lower than the rest of the country and one of the key reasons for this is the severe shortage of specialists, medical doctors, nurses and para medical staff, Syiem told The Shillong Times after making the special mention in the Upper House. Establishment of the State medical college cum hospital in Tura will ensure availability of much-needed skilled human resources in the health service delivery system, she said.
The design of the proposed college reflects the unique needs of the State – a facility for training not only for doctors and specialists but also a wide range of para medical staff. It will also provide short skill training programmes for doctors, paramedics, ANMs and GNMs, the MP added.
“This is in line with the recommendations of the National Commission on Macroeconomics in Health (NCMH). An amount of Rs 160 crore will be required to set up the medical college including the teaching college, hostels and staff quarters, which the Centre should bear,” she added.