The state government is optimistic about the timely completion of the Shillong Medical College (SMC) with all the necessary prerequisites already in place.
“The Shillong Medical College and the Tura Medical College are in the advanced stages of operation,” Health and Family Welfare Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said today. “As a brownfield project, SMC has a better chance of qualifying as a medical institute since we already meet the required norms. These norms include having a 400-bed hospital, adequate land and qualified faculty.”
Emphasising the government’s progress, she noted, “Establishing SMC involves multiple components and isn’t solely about building infrastructure. It requires the entire Health Department to prepare to meet the target.”
“Faculty is the most crucial element for obtaining the no objection certificate (NOC) or any approval to establish colleges. We must consider whether we have enough professors and if we have doctors willing to pursue academic qualifications. Delays arise from various factors, including the percentage of in-house doctors and service rules,” she added.
The service rules need to be set in advance and doctors adequately prepared. “Do we have sufficient doctors eligible to become professors? We must also identify key departments and specialists for the first three years of the programme,” the minister said. “The promotions and age of retirement for doctors are important considerations. We cannot compare private medical colleges with government ones.”
Finances could prove to be a long-term challenge. The central government has or will provide one time infrastructure funding but that will not be enough to sustain the medical college in the long-run.
