Shillong Medical College to start admissions with NEET counselling
Shillong Medical College (SMC) to begin admissions with NEET second round on September 26. National Medical Commission grants approval for SMC’s first academic session. SMC aims to address doctor shortages in Meghalaya's government health facilities.
- Sep 05, 2025,
- Updated Sep 05, 2025, 12:12 PM IST
Meghalaya Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh has announced that admissions for the state’s new Shillong Medical College (SMC) will begin with the second round of NEET counselling on September 26.
“This is a joyful day for the health department and the government of Meghalaya. The NMC has granted permission for Shillong Medical College to function from the 2025-26 academic session with an intake capacity of 50 students,” she said, describing it as a historic milestone.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) recently issued a Letter of Permission (LOP), clearing the way for SMC’s first academic session to start in the last week of September. With its launch, Meghalaya’s total MBBS seats have risen to 144 — 50 at SMC and 94 under the state quota in institutions such as NEIGRIHMS and RIIMS.
Dr. Lyngdoh stressed that the new college will help bridge the acute shortage of doctors in government health facilities. SMC will function as a brownfield project, drawing on Shillong Civil Hospital and Ganesh Das Hospital as its teaching hospitals. The government also plans to introduce specialization courses in the future to create career advancement opportunities for doctors in public service.
On faculty recruitment, she noted that all 25 assistant professor positions have been filled, while some senior posts remain vacant. “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. We are working to strengthen the remaining gaps,” she said, adding that competitive salaries and facilities are being offered to attract talent.
Senior ENT surgeon Dr. Nicola Gracyl Lyngdoh Iangrai from RIIMS has been appointed as SMC’s first director. She expressed her commitment to guiding the institution’s growth and serving the people of Meghalaya.
Clarifying the distinction with Tura Medical College, Dr. Lyngdoh said Tura is a greenfield project requiring new infrastructure, while SMC is being established as a brownfield college. She assured students and parents that Meghalaya’s MBBS quota allotted by the Government of India will remain unchanged.