SHILLONG : The Meghalaya Health & Family Welfare Department has reviewed the status of operationalisation of Tura Medical College, with the institution currently facing a significant shortage of teaching faculty required to begin functioning as a Government Medical College.
The review was conducted on Wednesday by Dr Joram Beda, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary of the Health & Family Welfare Department.
During the meeting, it was informed that despite sustained efforts for more than a year, only 37 teaching faculty have so far been mapped for the proposed medical college. This falls considerably short of the 97 faculty members required by the National Medical Commission (NMC) for an annual intake of 50 MBBS students.
The department said it has undertaken several measures to address the shortage, including repeated internal exercises to identify willing and qualified in-service doctors. It has also issued three rounds of advertisements and held consultations with doctors in Tura in an effort to address the shortage of specialists in the region.
With the faculty shortage continuing to delay the operationalisation of the medical college, the meeting also discussed ways to ensure that the infrastructure already being created benefits the people of Garo Hills without further delay.
It was recommended that the 150-bedded and 80-bedded blocks currently under construction within the Tura Civil Hospital campus be completed and commissioned for patient care.
According to the department, bringing these facilities into operation would increase the bed capacity of Tura Civil Hospital and further strengthen its role as the teaching hospital associated with Tura Medical College.
The review meeting was attended by Dr Rezina Ch. Marak, MCS, Joint Secretary, Health & Family Welfare Department and Chairperson of the Manpower Assessment Committee.
Also present were the Director of Health Services (MI), Director of Health Services (MCH & FW), Director of Health Services (MER), Medical Superintendent of Tura Civil Hospital, Medical Superintendent of Tura MCH Hospital and the District Tuberculosis Officer of TB Hospital, Tura, who are members of the committee.
The latest review highlights that while significant infrastructure is being developed for Tura Medical College, the availability of adequate teaching faculty remains a key requirement for its operationalisation as a Government Medical College.