Meghalaya Urges Centre to Back Shillong Medical College Upgrade, Elevate NEIGRIHMS

Shillong: The Meghalaya government has formally requested the Union Health Ministry and the Parliamentary Consultative Committee to provide vital infrastructure funding to accelerate the development of the upcoming Shillong Medical College and Hospital.

Speaking on Friday, state Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla confirmed that the comprehensive requirements for the medical college's brownfield development layout have been submitted for central consideration. The state urgently requires financial backing to build an administrative block, student hostels, and modern laboratory facilities, with a target completion timeline of 12 months.

Shylla also noted that the state administration is awaiting final confirmation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office regarding a dates outline for the grand inauguration of the Shillong facility.

Healthcare Expansion Hurdles and Progress

While the Shillong project looks to scale up, the state’s other major healthcare milestone, Tura Medical College, is entering its final stretch.

• Tura Construction: Work is roughly 95% complete.

• The Faculty Bottleneck: Despite structural readiness, the minister admitted that recruiting qualified medical professors and teaching staff remains a major hurdle due to very low applicant turnout.

Beyond medical schools, Meghalaya is actively lobbying New Delhi to grant Institute of National Importance (INI) status to the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS). This upgrade, strongly supported by the institute's faculty and staff, would enable the premier regional centre to unlock substantial funding, scale up specialised healthcare wings, and operate at peak capacity.

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