Conrad urges for NEIGRIHMS autonomy

A correspondent

Shillong, May 12: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Saturday called on Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda at his office in New Delhi, and submitted a memorandum seeking his intervention to accord autonomy to the North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Science (NEIGRIHMS) in Shillong.

The Chief Minister said the Union Minister has assured him to look into the matter.

The Chief Minister said that it was very important to accord autonomy to NEIGRIHMS that would pave way for the improvement and development of the prestigious healthcare institution of the Northeast.

“According autonomy to NEIGRIHMS will go a long way in accelerating the development of medical and health care in the State and region”, the Chief Minister added.

Conrad Sangma also raised the issue of de-recognition of MBBS course at NEIGRIHMS and pending payments, which are to be released to different departments by the Union Minister.

“Nadda ji has assured us to look into the issues at the earliest. He also said that the process for recognition of the MBBS course would be resolved soon as well as payments to different departments would also be released,” said the Chief Minister.

Sangma said that the meeting with the Union Minister was fruitful and positive and the Centre has assured full cooperation to upgrade the facilities of healthcare services in Meghalaya and Northeast.

Manipur Health Minister Jayanta Kumar also accompanied the Chief Minister during his meeting with the Union Health Minister.

The NEIGRIHMS in Shillong was set up as a postgraduate medical facility to provide quality health- care services to the people of Meghalaya and the North Eastern region. It was setup on the lines of AIIMS, New Delhi and PGIMER, Chandigarh, which are autonomous institutes established under the Acts of Parliament.

The Centre has recently announced setting up of new AIIMS in different parts of the country, including one in Assam in the Northeast.