Probe underway into doctor availability at Mawiong PHC after death of Meghalaya MP Ricky AJ Syngkon

The Meghalaya government has initiated an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the availability of medical staff at Mawiong Primary Health Centre (PHC) following the death of Shillong MP Ricky Andrew J. Syngkon.

Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on February 23, said the health department is examining whether a doctor was present at the PHC when the 54-year-old parliamentarian was brought there after collapsing during a futsal match in Mawiong, on the outskirts of Shillong.

“An inquiry is going on regarding the availability of a doctor at the PHC, and based on the findings, the health department will take necessary steps,” Sangma told reporters.

Syngkon, one of Meghalaya’s two Lok Sabha members, died on the evening of February 19, 2026, following a cardiac arrest. He reportedly slumped while playing football and was first rushed to Mawiong PHC before being shifted to a missionary hospital in Shillong, where doctors were unable to revive him.

A member of the Voice of the People Party, Syngkon had emerged as a giant-killer in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by defeating senior Congress leader Vincent H. Pala, thereby ending the latter’s three consecutive terms from the Shillong parliamentary constituency.

Before entering active politics, Syngkon served as an Assistant Professor of Economics at North-Eastern Hill University. He resigned from his academic post to contest the 2024 general elections.

The state government is expected to take further action once the health department submits its inquiry report.