National Medical Commission issued letter of permission to start
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REGIONAL, September 03, 2025: The Shillong Medical College (SMC) is set to commence its first academic session by the last week of September 2025 following approval and the issuance of a Letter of Permission (LOP) from the National Medical Commission (NMC).
Announcing the development on Wednesday, Health Minister Dr M Ampareen Lyngdoh described it as a historic milestone for the state.
“This is a joyful day for the health department and the government of Meghalaya. The NMC has granted permission for the Shillong Medical College to function from the 2025-26 academic session with an intake capacity of 50 students,” she said.
Lyngdoh informed that admissions will align with the national schedule for NEET-qualified candidates, with the second round of MBBS counselling beginning on September 26. With this addition, Meghalaya now has 144 MBBS seats 50 at SMC and 94 through the state quota in institutions such as NEIGRIHMS and RIIMS.
Lyngdoh asserted that the new college would help address the acute shortage of doctors in government health facilities.
Shillong Medical College will operate as a brownfield project, using Shillong Civil Hospital and Ganesh Das Hospital as its teaching hospitals. Plans are also in place to introduce specialization courses in the future to provide career advancement opportunities for doctors in government service.
Highlighting the faculty status, the minister said that while SMC has filled all 25 assistant professor posts, there are still vacancies for some senior faculty positions. “At present, 8 of the required 16 professors, 17 of 20 associate professors, 21 of 23 senior residents, and 12 of 15 tutors are in place,” she said, attributing the shortfall to challenges in attracting professors to the state.
“We are working to strengthen the remaining gaps. Competitive salaries and facilities are key to attracting faculty, and we are grateful to the officers and the intervention of the chief minister for ensuring that essential teaching staffs are available for the first session,” Lyngdoh added.
Lyngdoh also introduced Dr Nicola Gracyl Lyngdoh Iangrai, a senior ENT surgeon from RIIMS, as the first director of Shillong Medical College. Dr. Iangrai expressed her commitment to contributing to the growth of the institution and to serving the people of Meghalaya.
Clarifying further, Lyngdoh said that Tura Medical College remains a separate Greenfield Project that requires new infrastructure, unlike SMC, which is being established as a brownfield institution.
Reassuring students and parents, the minister stated that Meghalaya’s quota of MBBS seats allotted by the Government of India will continue to remain in place.
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