Health and Family Welfare Minister AK Hek today informed that the KPC Medical College, who have partnered with the state government for the proposed Shillong Medical College, have agreed to move the site of the project from Jhalupara to Umsawli.
Although former Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma had laid the foundation stone for the college on the grounds of the Reid Chest Hospital in Jhalupara in 2017, the current government decided to move the site to Umsawli, which KPC Medical College has now agreed to.
Meghalaya and KPC had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up a 500-bed hospital and medical college in Shillong back in 2012.
The Reid Chest Hospital, which was supposed to move to Umsawli, will continue to function from its present location as the college has now been shifted to the new site, Hek said.
“The issue now is only from the technical point of view since the MCI (Medical Council of India) guidelines provide 20 acres of land (for construction of a medical college), but in Umsawli we have only 17 acres. Now we have written to the Urban Affairs Department to allot us another five acres of land so that we can meet the requirements of the MCI for the Shillong Medical College,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, Hek also informed that 110 health centres in the state will be upgraded to health and wellness centres.
These 110 will be renovated and see their existing buildings extended to accommodate more facilities, nurses and other health workers. An average of Rs 8 lakh will be required per upgrade.
On the planned upgrades to Public Health Centres and Community Health Centres, Hek said that the detailed project report has yet to be completed but the tendering process will begin in early 2021.
He added that the project will be funded by the World Bank estimated at an amount of around Rs 100 crore for around 40 centres across Meghalaya.
