The number of sanctioned posts for doctors and nurses in Meghalaya has barely budged since the creation of the state in 1972 even as the number of health facilities and the population has increased.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said today that her department is “constantly” discussing the need for more posts with the Chief Minister, as well as Finance and Planning Departments.
Another issue is that Meghalaya is short of specialist doctors. When doctors undertake a specialisation in another state, they have to complete the terms of a bond that is shared between Meghalaya and that state, she said.
Furthermore, the minister also emphasised the need to ensure all bonded doctors return and serve in Meghalaya, a constant problem. “It should be mandatory that all students who avail a medical seat from the quota of Meghalaya return to the state of Meghalaya,” she said.
The state currently has an allocation of just under 100 medical seats but there is “very stiff competition” for these as applications are going up every year.
To ease demand pressures, the state is set to open its own medical college, with Ampareen saying that there is a “high probability” that the first intake will take place in 2025.
“We are hopeful about that. We are doing everything the right way but in the meanwhile, we need these [outside] seats and we need to depend on the other states to give us a quota,” she added.
