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Kohima: A three-member team from National Medical Council (NMC) visited the Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) and Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (NIMSR) on Monday to check the progress of infrastructural activities at the facilities, as the state government aims to begin the first academic session this year.
The NMC officials had last visited the facilities on January 10, after which the NIMSR and NHAK signed an MoU to affiliate the latter as the teaching hospital till the former becomes operational.
Commissioner and Secretary for Health and Family Welfare, Y Kikheto Sema, informed Eastern Mirror from NIMSR that the visiting team had left after assessing the facilities at the medical college.
“They (NMC team) were satisfied with the medical hospital (NHAK),” said Sema, who met the visiting NMC team comprising an official from Uttar Pradesh and two from Bihar, after the NLA session.
On learning about the presence of the three officials at the two facilities, minister of Health and Family Welfare P Paiwang Konyak, who was attending the ongoing assembly, also met them, it was informed.
Sema expressed optimism that the much-awaited medical college would be operational before the end of May though some of the infrastructures are expected to be completed by June.
NMC team inspected facilities like the administrative block, hostel, staff quarters, etc. at the medical college, during the visit.
On preparedness of the college for operation, Sema apprised that the interview result for first batch of faculty has been declared and the appointment at the medical facility would be made soon. The interviews for second batch will be conducted soon, which will be followed by the third batch before all necessary faculty recruitment is completed by September, he added.
While the appointment order has been issued, he informed that many professors will be coming from other states.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]The official also recalled the governor’s address in the State Legislative Assembly last week, wherein he said that the medical college would be upgraded to RIMS and AIIMS-like central institutes on government of India’s approval, if the need be required.
“We are going on the basis of quality; so we are on the job. All of us are working 24/7,” claimed he said.
Mentioning that he had visited the medical college 17 times within three months, Sema expressed optimism the NMC will at least give the letter of permission to operate the facility on completion of the overall construction work.
“Even if everything is over, unless we receive the letter of permission from NMC, we cannot start,” he said. “We hope and pray that we should get it sooner or later.”
He was confident that department will get things done on time since their affidavit assurance is up to May 31 while the hospital as well as the infrastructure is “almost getting ready”. He also expressed hope that NMC team will visit the facilities again to take stock of the development activities.
“It has been quite challenging for us since the NMC team visited us just two months ago,” he said, adding that they are “working hard” for completion of the facilities.
“We don't see the reason why we should not have a medical college after 60 years of statehood,” he said. “We have given assurance that everything will be in functional condition on or before 31st May.”
“To have a medical college is the burning desire of everyone,” he said while pointing out that it will help students from the state as many struggle to get admission to different medical institutions in the country as well as abroad.
Sema said that the officials had cautioned the contractors at several meetings to complete the project within the stipulated time and “they (contractors) are trying their level best”, while attributing the delay to first and second waves of COVID-19 and the recent state general elections besides other factors.