SHILLONG, April 20: The race for the establishment of Meghalaya’s first medical college and hospital has gotten exhilarating, especially with the entry of a contender — University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM).
Whilst the Shillong and Tura medical college projects continue to hang fire, USTM Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque has revealed that within the university premises, the construction of a medical college and hospital has already begun.
The USTM Chancellor has, however, asked the state government to invest in the medical college and hospital.
Speaking to media persons, Hoque informed that since the construction of a medical college and hospital can be financially excruciating, he has asked the state government to come forward and invest in the project.
Informing that the university has already shared the entire stratagem with the state government, including Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, the Chancellor said that the USTM, at the moment, is struggling to find investors for the construction of the facility.
“Our medical college and hospital will have standards like Apollo Hospital and there will be 50 per cent charity beds for the poor,” Hoque said, adding that the university plans to accommodate in full strength the students from the Northeastern states, especially Meghalaya, in the medical college.
“We want this plan to materialise at the earliest and we don’t have any business motive,” Hoque said.
It is pertinent to note that the revelation from the USTM’s Chancellor holds significance at a time when Meghalaya, despite its 50 years of statehood, yearns for a medical college — the Shillong and Tura medical college and hospital projects, too, continue to remain in limbo.
Only recently, the state government had scrapped its agreement, signed with Kolkata-based Kali Pradip Chaudhuri (KPC) Group, for the construction of the Shillong Medical College under public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
“We are now going for a fresh expression of interest which will be taken up on a fast-track basis,” Principal Secretary of the Health department, Sampath Kumar, had said.