TURA — Tura Medical College is still waiting to become operational, with a severe shortage of qualified teachers holding back its opening despite construction reaching 84%, Meghalaya’s Health and Family Welfare Department has said.
In a review meeting held on October 7, officials said the college could not meet even the faculty requirements for 50 MBBS seats, despite the Centre sanctioning an annual intake of 150 students. The National Medical Commission requires 97 faculty posts for an intake of 50 students, but vacancies remain particularly high among professors and associate professors.
The department said three rounds of recruitment advertisements had failed to resolve the shortage. Doctors serving across Garo Hills have also been consulted, but moving them to Tura could disrupt health services in other districts.
Construction is progressing at different speeds. The 80-bed hospital block at Tura Civil Hospital is 55% complete, while the 150-bed block has reached 25%. The 80-bed block is expected to be ready by December 2026, with the larger block scheduled for June 2027. The academic block at Doldagre is expected to be completed by March 2027.
The department warned that every academic year the college remains closed means another batch of MBBS seats is lost to students from Meghalaya.
It also said state-quota students would pay ₹33,000 annually, the same fee charged at Shillong Medical College. Tura Civil Hospital will continue under government control, while the academic and administrative block at Doldagre will remain fully government-owned.
The department said the public investment in the project must translate into medical seats for Meghalaya’s students without further delay.
