Tura, May 7 : Tura Government Medical College stands as a critical promise to the people of Garo Hills – not just for affordable healthcare and accessible medical education, but something that has never existed here before: a medical college of our own. This is set to be the first government medical college in the entire state of Meghalaya. As per Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s May 6, 2025 update, the project is 80% complete. Yet, his vague statement about “operationalizing by next year” and a December 2025 completion target raises serious concerns. Ambiguity at this stage only deepens public frustration in a region where quality healthcare is not only prohibitively expensive but also geographically out of reach. The stakes are too high for delays or diluted commitments.
We cannot afford further delays. The academic session must begin by 2026 – no ifs, no buts. Every missed deadline pushes affordable care further out of reach for families already burdened by high medical costs. This institution was never just about infrastructure; it was meant to serve the health and education needs of the people.
Even more troubling is the Chief Minister’s open admission of being in “talks with a private entity” to manage the hospital, backed by media reports of “exploring partnerships.” This signals a dangerous departure from public accountability. The people were promised a government medical college – not one run by private hands with profit in mind.
Are these delays part of a calculated move to justify privatisation through the back door? If so, it’s a betrayal – plain and simple. Allowing private entities to manage what should be a public hospital risks increased costs for students and patients alike, and turns a people’s institution into a profit-making venture.
The CM must abandon all plans for private management and commit to keeping Tura Medical College fully government-run. No outsourcing, no diluted control, no corporate interference.
The people of Meghalaya deserve clarity, not clever wordplay. Anything less than a fully functional, public medical college by 2026 would be a disgrace – and a shameful abandonment of the very citizens this project was meant to uplift.
