SHILLONG:
State Health minister, Ampareen Lyngdoh, on April 26, said that the state government was looking into the possibility of going ahead with the Shillong Medical College with the infrastructure already there.
According to the Health minister the state government during the ongoing construction of the Tura Medical College learnt a lot of valuable lessons.
“We are yet to formulate a final approach. This matter still has to be taken to the cabinet but internally engagements are on. We are looking at a high probability of the Shillong Medical College actually in Shillong itself without looking at wastage of funds, to infrastructure building,” Lyngdoh said.
According to her, the government already has the Shillong Civil Hospital, the Ganesh Das Hospital, the Reid Provincial Chest Hospital, Shillong (TB Hospital).
The Health minister said that all these hospitals are already there and may be the medical college will need additional buildings even as she added that all this is at a very initial stage.
“We still require proper cabinet notes to be sent, projections to be made. But yes Shillong Medical College will probably change from the old proposal but it will still be run under PPP mode as proposed earlier.
“One message that can go very clearly is that we are concerned and we are on the job. We will come up with a proposal and a plan at the earliest,” she added.
Meanwhile, Lyngdoh also informed that the construction of the Tura Medical College has completed 45 per cent physical progress.
She said that the hostels, quarters and the actual teaching hospital area are under construction.
The Health minister also said that there are some problems about also ensuring that the government engages with other nearby hospitals to ensure that it reaches the mark of 450 beds as recommended by the Medical Council of India.
“So, all of that is progressing. There were certain problems about availability of funds but that has also been sorted out,” she said.