SHILLONG: The long-sought dream of establishing a Medical College and Hospital in Meghalaya has been obscured by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which appears to be unrelenting so far in its stride.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Health Minister AL Hek said that the proposed project at Umsawli will have to wait until the pandemic subsides.
It may be recalled that former chief minister, Mukul Sangma, in 2017, had laid the foundation stone for the state’s first medical college in the existing campus of Reid Chest Hospital, Jhalupara, five years after an MoU was signed with KPC Medical College, Kolkata.
However, the MDA Government decided to shift its location from Jhalupara to Umsawli.
The proposed project found a space in the commitments and manifestos of different political parties but not enough to see much progress as its construction still remains a distant dream.
Reacting to a query, Hek said that the government has decided to hold negotiations with KPC Medical College, Kolkata, on the terms and agreements related to the project before signing a new pact since the site has been shifted.
However, it is learnt that the KPC Medical College has agreed in principle to shift the project from Jhalupara to Umsawli.
“The final agreement is going to take some time,” Hek added.
The initial cost of the project was Rs 250 crore, but will now be escalated to around Rs 350-400 crore since the project has been delayed for over 6 years.
In a stark contrast, the construction of Tura Medical College has been making decent progress.