SHILLONG, Sep 13: KHNAM legislator Adelbert Nongrum on Tuesday questioned the government on why the Shillong Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) which was conceptualized way back in 2012 was yet to get going.
“I fail to understand why the government took many years to realise that this project is not viable. I would also like to know the reasons behind this late realization,” Nongrum said during the Question Hour.
“It is difficult to imagine that even after ten years the Health minister has not been able to identify the loopholes and factors as to why the project is yet to see the light of the day. I would also like to know if the site for the SMCH has been changed or whether the government has identified a new site,” he said, lamenting that Meghalaya was yet to have a medical college of its own even after 50 years of Statehood.
Questioning the lackadaisical attitude of the government, he pointed out to the ongoing construction of the NPP office which is not meant for the welfare of the state.
“I would not like to argue about the construction of the party office. My only question is whether the government is searching for a new site for this project,” Nongrum added.
In his reply, Health Minister James PK Sangma said the government is exploring two new modalities — a public-private-partnership (PPP) and the possibility of seeking support from the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA)/NITI Aayog.
Sangma recalled that at one point of time the TB Hospital in Mawbah was under active consideration as the site for the proposed SMCH. “However this particular location has a lot of complications as the approach road is narrow and it would have become a problem in the future. The area is very congested and this would also affect the functioning of the medical college,” Sangma said, adding that guidelines under the National Medical Council (NMC) which disqualified the location at RP Chest Hospital for the medical college.
He said that the government has to look at how the SMCH, once established, becomes a viable project and does not turn into a white elephant and result in loss to the state exchequer.
The minister disclosed that that Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has provided an alternative plot of land in the New Shillong Township to the tune of 50 acres for the SMCH.
The minister said they are looking at this bigger plot of land to have hostel facilities, a 100-bed hospital or maybe bigger along with the medical college.
He informed that the government, after cancelled the agreement with the previous concessionaire (KPC Group), is now looking to engage a new party which can offer a better deal.
To a question from TMC’s George B Lyngdoh on whether the terms of agreement of the medical colleges in Shillong and Tura were similar, Sangma replied that the SMCH would be set up on a PPP mode while the Tura Medical College would be 100% government aided.
Replying to a supplementary by Lyngdoh, he said that the government had to cancel the agreement with the earlier concessionaire since it wanted certain changes to the MoU which the government did not agree with.
According to Sangma, besides asking for additional land, the previous concessionaire wanted the lease period to be extended to 99 years from 30 years besides increasing the fee structure.
West Shillong MLA Mohendro Rapsang insisted that the state government should ensure that the RP Chest Hospital at Mawbah is used only as a medical facility and no other facility should come up there.
