SHILLONG, July 9: The Health department is in discussions with the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) administration regarding the affiliation of the proposed government-run medical college. Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh revealed on Tuesday that NEHU Vice Chancellor Prof Prabha Shankar Shukla has invited the Health Secretary to engage in activities to understand the requirements, procedures, and processing of the affiliation.
“Once everything is in place, we will take the matter to the cabinet before making a final decision,” Lyngdoh stated. She added that the state has the option to affiliate the medical college with either NEHU or Captain Williamson Sangma State University.
Lyngdoh emphasised that the government is seeking advisories to ensure that its decision benefits the project and ensures the medical college becomes operational. She expressed confidence that the Shillong Medical College will commence by the academic session of 2025-2026, despite the challenging timeline.
“We have set a difficult deadline, but I am confident that we will achieve it,” Lyngdoh said.
Providing an update on the project, she mentioned substantial progress has been made, and the National Medical Commission (NMC) has been informed that Meghalaya is ready to operationalise a government-run medical college and one private-run medical college.
“We are in constant touch with the authorities and are holding discussions with the state’s medical association and NEIGRIHMS for guidance,” she said.
Lyngdoh also informed that three committees have been established to oversee the project’s development. The initial stages of the Shillong Medical College will utilize services from currently available government-run hospitals, making it a ‘brownfield project.’
“There is sufficient infrastructure and facilities available for the initial stage of the Shillong Medical College. Our focus now is on hiring professors and lecturers for various important departments, ensuring no compromise on quality education,” Lyngdoh asserted.
She mentioned that officials from the NMC are expected to visit shortly and that personnel from the NMC are already visiting the state. The Health Department is also working closely with the army and military forces, leveraging their contacts and facilities in the Eastern Region.
Meanwhile, KSU Education Secretary Pynkmenlang Sanmiet has urged the state government to expedite the establishment of the medical colleges. He emphasized that a state-run medical college will provide aspiring medical students with opportunities and improve access to better treatment within the state.
“Having a medical college will give people access to better treatment, as we have witnessed in other states,” Sanmiet added.
