SHILLONG, May 16: The state government plans to increase the number of medical seats in Meghalaya to 450 over the next two years, in addition to the 100 seats provided to the state’s students under the central quota, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Friday.
The Shillong Medical College will commence its MBBS programme this year, while the Tura Medical College is expected to launch its course next year, he said.
The PA Sangma International Medical College and Hospital at the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) has already started its MBBS programme, Sangma stated.
With around 100-150 seats available in these three institutes, and around 100 seats available from the central quota ,the total number of available seats for students from the state will rise to around 550, the chief minister said.
The first batch of MBBS students from Shillong Medical College will graduate by 2030, and the state’s investment in medical education will start yielding results in the coming five to seven years.
Shillong Medical College is expected to be operational by September 2025, and Tura Medical College by 2026-2027.
Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh is likely to visit Uttar Pradesh to examine a successful model that was used to create six medical colleges there with help from the central government.
The state has examined the progress made at Tura Medical College, where infrastructure development is still proceeding, the health minister told the media.
