Shillong, Oct 9 (IANS): A critical shortage of teaching faculty has emerged as a major obstacle to the full operationalisation of Tura Medical College in Meghalaya, restricting its capacity to accommodate just 50 MBBS students annually against the sanctioned intake of 150 seats, officials said on Friday.
The issue came up during a review meeting chaired by Joram Beda, Commissioner and Secretary of the state Health and Family Welfare Department, on October 7 where officials assessed recruitment gaps and the progress of construction work.
According to officials, the institution has been unable to fulfil the faculty requirements prescribed by the National Medical Commission (NMC) for admitting students against its entire sanctioned intake.
Against the required 97 faculty posts, staffing levels stand at 86 per cent for professors, 85 per cent for associate professors, 52 per cent for senior residents and only 36 per cent for assistant professors.
The department has issued three rounds of recruitment advertisements, while consultations over the past five months have explored deploying doctors serving in the Garo Hills to address the shortfall.
Doctors working at primary health centres, health and wellness centres and hospitals, particularly outside West Garo Hills, have been identified for possible deployment.
However, officials stressed that any redeployment must not compromise healthcare delivery in other districts.
The state government acknowledged that recruitment alone may not be sufficient to meet the NMC norms, especially given the shortage of senior faculty.
The delay has raised concerns about medical education opportunities for students in the state.
Meanwhile, the overall physical progress of the project has reached 84 per cent.
The 80-bedded and 150-bedded hospital blocks at the Tura Civil Hospital campus are 55 per cent and 25 per cent complete, respectively.
The 80-bedded block is scheduled for completion by December 31, 2026, while the larger block is targeted for June 30, 2027.
The academic block at Doldegre is expected to be completed by March 31, 2027.
The state government reiterated that students admitted to the college will pay the same annual fee as those at Shillong Medical College, Rs 33,000 under the state quota.
Officials said the priority remains addressing staffing gaps and completing infrastructure so that the institution can deliver its intended benefits to Meghalaya's aspiring medical students and residents.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.