Shillong, Sept 3, 2025: The Shillong Medical College (SMC) is set to begin its first academic session by the last week of September, following the grant of permission from the National Medical Commission (NMC).
Health Minister Dr. M. Ampareen Lyngdoh hailed the development as a “historic milestone” for Meghalaya. “This is a joyful day for the health department and the government. The NMC has approved Shillong Medical College to function from the 2025-26 academic session with an intake capacity of 50 MBBS students,” she said on Wednesday.
Admissions will be carried out through the national counselling schedule for NEET-qualified candidates, with the second round beginning on September 26. With SMC’s addition, Meghalaya now offers 144 MBBS seats — 50 at the new college and 94 through the state quota in institutions such as NEIGRIHMS and RIMS. The minister said this expansion will help address the acute shortage of doctors in government health facilities.
SMC will operate as a brownfield project, with Shillong Civil Hospital and Ganesh Das Hospital serving as its teaching hospitals. Plans are also underway to introduce postgraduate and super-specialty courses in the future to support career advancement for doctors.
On faculty strength, Dr. Lyngdoh informed that all 25 assistant professor posts have been filled, but some senior positions remain vacant. Currently, 8 of 16 professors, 17 of 20 associate professors, 21 of 23 senior residents, and 12 of 15 tutors are in place. “We are working to close the remaining gaps. Competitive salaries and facilities are key to attracting faculty, and we are grateful for the chief minister’s support in ensuring teaching staff are available for the first session,” she added.
The minister also introduced Dr. Nicola Gracyl Lyngdoh Iangrai, a senior ENT surgeon from RIMS, as the first director of Shillong Medical College. Dr. Iangrai pledged to contribute to the growth of the institution and to serve the people of the state.
Clarifying further, Dr. Lyngdoh noted that Tura Medical College remains a separate greenfield project requiring fresh infrastructure, unlike SMC’s brownfield model. She also reassured that Meghalaya’s MBBS quota allotted by the Government of India will continue unchanged.
