SHILLONG : Meghalaya Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla on Friday said the inauguration of the Shillong Medical College has been delayed as the state government is awaiting confirmation of a date from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing reporters, Shylla said the government had already planned the inauguration on two separate occasions, but both schedules had to be postponed due to unavoidable circumstances.”We have already fixed dates twice, but the programme could not take place. We are now waiting for the Prime Minister’s Office to confirm a suitable date,” Shylla said.
The minister said the issue was also raised during the recent visit of Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda to Meghalaya.”I personally reminded the Union Health Minister that Meghalaya is still waiting for the final dates and timings from both the Ministry and the PMO. We are hopeful that the matter will be finalised soon,” he said. On the progress of the Tura Medical College, Shylla said construction work is nearing completion, with more than 95 per cent of the infrastructure already in place.He, however, acknowledged that faculty recruitment remains a challenge. “The infrastructure is almost complete. The main challenge now is recruitment of faculty members. Advertisements have already been issued, but the response has not been very encouraging so far,” the minister said.
Despite the challenges, Shylla expressed confidence that the required faculty strength would be achieved.The Shillong Medical College is expected to become the state’s first government medical college, while the Tura Medical College is being developed to strengthen healthcare infrastructure and medical education in the Garo Hills region.
The state government has repeatedly stated that the operationalisation of both institutions will significantly increase opportunities for medical education within Meghalaya and reduce dependence on medical seats outside the state.