State Health & Family Welfare (H&FW) department has issued a statement through DIPR on the status of the medical college at Phriebagei– Nagaland Institute of Medical Science and Research.
It said that the Health ministry had approved the establishment of the medical college with an intake capacity of 100 MBBS seats at District Hospital Kohima (NHAK) at the cost of Rs. 189 crores under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for “establishment of new medical colleges by upgrading district/ referral hospitals” in 2014. As per the guideline of the scheme, one of the eligibility criteria was District hospitals/referral hospital with bed strength of 200 or more. Further, private hospitals were not eligible under the scheme, it added.
Though the college will initially function from two plots– administrative, academic, hostels, and staff quarters at Phriebagie, H&FW said that the teaching hospital will be at Naga Authority Hospital Kohima (NHAK), which was permissible under the regulations of National Medical Commission (NMC).
However, due to space constraints and instability of land at NHAK campus, the department said it was difficult to develop the hospital to 500 bedded teaching hospital, which must be in place by 3rd Inspection as per NMC regulations. Therefore, it said a dedicated 500 bedded teaching hospital will be established at Phriebagie, and the construction of a 150 bedded hospital at Phriebagie through State Resources was nearing completion, even as the department has approached Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for setting up a 400 bedded teaching hospital.
Though Centre had approved setting up of medical college at Kohima in 2014, acquisition of land was completed only in February 2018, master plan approved in October 2018 and the construction works commenced from 2019.
H&FW claimed that the execution of works was severely affected during the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the initial delay, it said that all works were in full swing and construction works expected to complete within this year.
As the Centre had released its share of Rs.170.10 crores, out of which Rs. 77.73 crores had been utilized till date, H&FW claimed that the balance amount was available with the government and that project was never grounded nor funds exhausted.
On the proposal for Nagaland University to take control of the medical college, H&FW said
considering the absence of iconic National Institutions in the State and limited financial and human resources, it was felt that the medical college would be best run as a Central Institute, as practiced elsewhere. However, it said Centre conveyed its inability.
Meanwhile, H&FW said the state government has also created 60 posts under various category required for obtaining Letter of Permission (LOP) from NMC. Advertisement for the post director was already published nationally on May 11, 2022 and advertisement for the remaining posts would be issued shortly, it added.
Mon medical college: With regard to construction of medical college at Mon, H&FW said out of the total approved cost of Rs. 325.00 crores, the Centre released Rs. 232.23 crores as of date. The state government also acquired 90 acres of land at Mon village, which was about 3 kms away from the existing District Hospital Mon.
The soil survey, contour survey works, preliminary works at the site including construction of road etc. have been initiated and the bid documents and technical details for the remaining works have also been taken up, it said. As per the timeline finalised with the experts and the department, works were expected to start by the third quarter of this year, H&FW said.