Shillong: Tura Medical College sits empty. A desperate lack of qualified teaching staff keeps the gates locked. The state Health and Family Welfare Department confirmed the snag on Friday. Officials face a massive recruitment gap despite three rounds of job ads and five months of planning.
Construction work remains ahead of the staffing efforts. The hospital project is 84% complete. Inside the Civil Hospital campus, the 80-bed block hit 55% progress and the 150-bed block reached 25%. Crews expect to finish the 80-bed unit by December 31. The larger 150-bed wing should wrap up by June 30, 2027. Hostels and Type-5 quarters at Doldagre follow the December deadline. The academic block target is March 31, 2027, with remaining staff quarters finishing in June 2027.
Filling the roster is a harder task. The National Medical Commission requires 97 faculty members for a 50-student intake. Currently, the college lacks 86% of its professors and 85% of its associate professors. Senior residents and assistant professors show gaps of 52% and 36% respectively. "The department noted that despite sustained efforts, the functioning of the college continued to be held back by a severe shortage of qualified teaching faculty," officials reported.
Redeploying in-service doctors from other Garo Hills districts poses a risk. The state must move staff without crashing existing care at local Health and Wellness Centres. Though the Union Ministry sanctioned 150 seats, the current faculty count cannot support even 50 students. Every month of delay costs the state an entire year of MBBS admissions.
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