Shillong, Oct 3: Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on Thursday informed that the state is getting 40 additional seats for medical studies with the Centre’s decision to grant approval to the PA Sangma International Medical College of the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) as the first private medical college in Meghalaya.

Speaking to reporters, Lyngdoh said, “Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had also congratulated them (USTM) on the achievement, on the start of the first medical college in the state of Meghalaya run by them in their institute. We are also very happy to get this information today that 40 additional seats for medical studies now become open to the students of Meghalaya, who are interested in pursuing MBBS studies.”

“Of the 40 seats, 20 will be under full scholarship while the other 20 seats will be under half payment of fees. We thank the USTM and we hope that the students of Meghalaya would benefit greatly from this great opportunity that has come,” she added.

Informing that the session of 2024-25 is starting, the minister said, “We will have separate advertisements for this as these seats have come now only. We will inform citizens accordingly through proper channels and advertisements in the next few days.”

According to her, the total medical seats for Meghalaya has gone up to 133, of which 93 are allotted from the government of India.

The college has been granted approval for intake of 150 students in an academic year by Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. However, the approval from the National Medical Commission (NMC) is awaited.

Asked, Lyngdoh said, “I have visited the institute and I am of the opinion that they are prepared. Everything, all the infrastructures for year 1, 2 and 3 as per the requirement of NMC, I think they have already been constructed. You will not get an NOC if you don’t have pre-requirements for the start of medical college.”

On USTM’s request for Rs 200 crore as loan for fast tracking all infrastructures to set up a 400-bedded institution, the minister said, “We are processing that. We have not been able to come to a complete procedure but it is under process.”

Whether MoU would be signed with the USTM for running the PPP mode medical institute, Lyngdoh said, “Yes, we are waiting for the CM to give us further instruction on the matter.”

To another question, the minister denied that there is any delay to set up medical colleges in the state.

“There is no delay in medical colleges. Do not say that. We have told you we are targeting one institute in 2024-25, now it has fructified. We have said that the second (Shillong medical college) hopefully if everything goes right, will start in the session of 2025-26 and the Tura medical college because of various difficulties, we are hoping that that will also start shortly in the 2027-28 session,” she said.

The minister also refused to comment on the recent controversies between the USTM and the Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

“It is not for me to respond to. There are certified authorities to look into all these allegations. I have no idea whatsoever why that was the stand of the Assam CM and I am not in a position to even attempt to reply to these questions. We only know that we now have 40 more seats for medical studies for the students of the state of Meghalaya,” Lyngdoh stated.

Read: Justice Indra Prasanna Mukherji sworn in as 13th Chief Justice of Meghalaya

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