The competition to create Meghalaya’s first medical college and hospital has heated up, especially since a contender — the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) — has entered the fray.
While the medical college projects in Shillong and Tura remain dormant, USTM Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque has stated that work on a medical college and hospital within the university grounds has already commenced.
USTM already shared the complete strategy
The Chancellor of USTM, on the other hand, has requested that the state government invest in the medical college and hospital.
In a statement to the media, Hoque said that because the construction of a medical college and hospital can be costly, he has encouraged the state government to step forward and contribute to the project.
The Chancellor stated that the institution has already shared the complete strategy with the state government, including Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, and that the university is currently battling to secure investors for the facility’s development.
“Our medical college and hospital will meet Apollo Hospital standards, and there will be 50% charity beds for the poor,” Hoque said, adding that the institution intends to enrol students from the Northeastern states, particularly Meghalaya, at full strength in the medical college.
“We want this plan to come to fruition as soon as possible, and we have no commercial incentive,” Hoque stated.
It’s worth noting that the USTM Chancellor’s revelation comes at a time when Meghalaya, despite its 50 years of statehood, is in desperate need of a medical college – the Shillong and Tura medical college and hospital projects, too, are in limbo.
The state government recently cancelled a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement with the Kolkata-based Kali Pradip Chaudhuri (KPC) Group for the construction of the Shillong Medical College.
“We are now going for a new expression of interest, which will be taken up on a fast-track basis,” said Sampath Kumar, the Principal Secretary of the Health Department.
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