Shillong, Oct 28:The state government will run the Tura Medical College.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla said the plan of public-private partnership (PPP) to establish the Tura Medical College was dropped.
The decision follows protests from various quarters of Garo Hills.
According to Shylla, concerns were raised by the people of Garo Hills regarding the PPP model, and hence the government decided to abandon the idea to ensure that the medical college is run in the best interests of the people.
“As you know, the government is for the people; that is why we won’t go until and unless the people are confident in it. That is why we have decided that even Tura Medical College will be a government college,” he said.
He said the government will start recruiting faculty for the medical college, despite the challenges involved and added that most of the construction work is complete, and only the hospital part is pending.
The minister will inspect the Tura Medical College “.
Classes started for Shillong Medical College
Shylla said classes have commenced at the Shillong Medical College, with 50 seats
“The college has also met the faculty requirements, a crucial criterion for obtaining clearance from the National Medical Commission (NMC)”, he said.
To a question, Shylla said the shortage of faculty is a common challenge faced by new medical colleges, but added that the Shillong Medical College has been able to fulfill the NMC’s criteria.
Shylla said the college has an adequate number of faculty members, with most of them hailing from Meghalaya.
He hoped that the faculty members would be committed to ensuring the college’s success. Efforts are being made to recruit more faculty members from other states to supplement the existing team, he said.
On the infrastructure development, Shylla said the college is currently operating from old buildings, but tenders have been floated for the construction of new infrastructure facilities.l
“We are still running from the old buildings, but most of the tenders are already on for the different infrastructure facilities. Right now, we are accommodating at Pasteur Hills”, he said.
The government is exploring options to invite the Prime Minister or the Union Health Minister to inaugurate the Shillong Medical College.
“We have been discussing with the CM. We will try to invite the Prime Minister, but if the Prime Minister can’t come, we might invite the Union Health Minister,” Shylla said.
Jowai Medical College
Shylla, a two-time legislator from Jowai, is enthusiastic about the possibility of a medical college in Jowai, but added that it is not an easy task.
Shylla said he would be the happiest person if a medical college could be established in Jowai, but said that there are many criteria to be fulfilled.
“Definitely, I will be the happiest person if a medical college could come to Jowai, but at the same time, we have to understand… opening a medical college is not easy. We have so many criteria to be fulfilled,” he said.
Nursing college
He said the government has recently announced the establishment of a nursing college in Jowai, which is a positive development.
