SHILLONG, SEP 5: Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on Tuesday said the State government would soon sign memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Science & Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) for setting up of a private medical college in Ri Bhoi district.
“Those modalities are now being designed and worked out and then MoU has to be signed,” Lyngdoh told reporters.
She informed that USTM had requested the State government to provide them Rs 200 crore as loan for fast tracking all infrastructures to set up a 400-bedded institution. The university has offered to provide 40 medical seats to Meghalaya.
“As of today, the USTM is the only institutions which is likely to have an operational medical college in a very short period of time,” Lyngdoh said while adding “We need the seats as we need to increase the college of doctors in the State in view of the fact that we don’t have enough doctors in the state.”
According to her, Meghalaya has been allotted only 94 MBBS seats and already it is facing a lot of problems with controversies that have arisen.
The State Cabinet has recently approved a road map for setting up of three medical colleges in Meghalaya.
Stating that the process has now started, Lyngdoh said, “Permissions have to be acquired, proper plan has to be put in place, infrastructure building has to occur, DPRs have to be prepared – all of these procedures, we have given a deadline.”
She informed that the government has set a tough target to ensure that the Shillong medical college is made operational by 2025.
“We have said that there are certain problems even in completion of infrastructure building in the Tura medical college. We have to start allocation of funds. We have to ensure all the hiccups that are there with the implementing agencies are sorted out,” she said.
When asked, the minister said many doctors have already submitted their names for senior resident so that they are qualified to become faculty to teach in the Shillong medical college.
“I foresee that Shillong medical college will also be very quick because we are already using our available resources. We are already tying up with NEIGRIHMS to please allow our doctors to go for senior resident immediately, maybe we will also have to talk to Guwahati medical college or any other college nearby to enable our faculty and doctors to become faculty and qualify the norms of teaching,” she added.
By our Reporter
+ There are no comments
Add yours