Manipur’s first private medical college to come up in Imphal West district

“The main purpose of establishing the new medical college is to produce strong, empathetic, compassionate, socially and environmentally responsible research-oriented medical graduates and postgraduates… provide affordable quality healthcare, medical tourism to contribute to the state’s exchequer and for inclusive growth of the region,” the SHRI managing director said.

He claimed that every year there are over 4,000 medical aspirants in Manipur, out of which 150 students are selected as government nominees and over 400 seek admission outside the state or abroad.

Based on an independent research, Dr Khundongbam said over Rs 500 crore is approximately spent outside the state annually for healthcare and medical education. Currently, it is estimated that about 700 Manipuri medical students are studying in China alone, he added. “The amount will be more if we include the expenditure for dental, nursing, paramedical students,” he said.

He pointed out that as per the norm set by the World Health Organization (WHO), there should be one doctor for every 1,000 individuals. However, India has got 440 medical colleges out of which only 3 per cent are in the northeast, Dr Khundongbam added.

While 20 per cent of the seats at the new medical college will be reserved for state government nominees, 65 per cent will go to management nominees and 15 per cent to NRIs, he said.

The SHRI managing director informed that the annual fee structure has already been proposed to the state government based on one of the nearest private medical colleges in Kolkata. “The medical college will not only generate employment but also help the state to develop as a global healthcare destination,” he said.