Meghalaya Health and Family Welfare Minister AL Hek on Saturday in a meeting discussed the government’s move to start the construction of a medical college at Tura in West Garo Hills district.
The meeting was attended by officials of the state health department and representatives of the construction company which would undertake the work.
The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 234.89 crore and funding is on a 90:10 ratio — 90 per cent by the Centre and 10 per cent by the state. The Union health and family welfare ministry has so far sanctioned Rs 51 crore.
He said since the lowest bidder had quoted higher than the sanctioned amount, a proposal was sent to the state finance department on February 15 for approval.
“The department will immediately take up the construction of the Tura medical college even though there are some issues. For an exceeding amount of Rs 8 or Rs 9 crore, we would not like to stall such a massive project, and all procedures will be followed in this regard,” Hek said.
The Tura Medical College and hospital with 100 seats will come up on a 100-acre land at Doldegre, about 8 km from Tura.
On the proposed medical college at Shillong, the minister informed that the state government has signed an agreement with a Kolkata based KPC Medical College for constructing the project on a PPP mode.
The medical college has been proposed to be built at the Reid Chest TB Hospital, Mawbah in Shillong. But it is not known yet when the construction of the medical college at Shillong will start.
However Hek said that construction of the medical college at the Reid Chest TB Hospital would begin after patients are shifted to a new TB hospital at Umsawli which is under construction now.
Hek said that he would also review regarding the delay to complete the construction of new TB hospital at Umsawli near the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences.