First medical college of Arunachal Pradesh begins its journey

Itanagar: The first medical college of Arunachal Pradesh the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) began its maiden academic session as Chief Minister Pema Khandu handed out a letter of admission to the first batch of MBBS students here at the institute's Main Ceremony Hall.

"Today is a historic day for Arunachal Pradesh particularly in the fields of healthcare and medical education and will go down in the history of state in golden letters," Mr. Khandu said in his address during the induction ceremony, official sources informed.

"I express my appreciation and congratulations to all the people, who burned their midnight lamp and worked overtime with zeal and enthusiasm for many years to make this dream of having a medical college in the state a reality," he said.

The CM said the opening of the first medical college has been made possible by the generous funding received from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Health Minister J P Nadda.

He said a medical college and hospital at the doorstep will extremely ease the burden of the needy and poor who have to depend on other parts of the country at considerable expenses both for medical education and treatment.

He thanked all former chief ministers--late Dorjee Khandu, late JarbomGamlin, late Kalikho Pul and Nabam Tuki for making the dream of having a medical college in the state a reality.

He said the institute so far has filled up 39 seats mainly from the state quota and is awaiting 11 more seats to be filled under central and NRI quota. However, as per the decision taken in TRIHMS governing body meeting if the seats remain unfilled over certain period of time, those seats will be filled as state quota, said the CM.

Speaking on institute's expansion plan, he said within the span of two years, the institute plans to increase the intake of MBBS students from 50 to 100 and hike the number of beds in teaching hospital from300 to 500.

He also informed that within one year the super-specialty departments of cardiology, paediatric surgery and oncology will be added in addition to the departments of urology, neurosurgery and gastroenterology to be added in 2-5 years.

An emergency and trauma centre will also be added in another in 2years, the CM informed.

The CM paid tribute to the 2nd chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, late Tomo Riba after whose name this institute has been named.

Earlier speaking on the occasion, Deputy CM Chowna Mein called on all the concerned to devote their best to make TRIHMS as one of the best medical institute in the country.

Also speaking on the occasion, Health Minister Alo Libang requested the MCI for considering the request of state government to increase the MBBS seat in TRIHMS from 50 to 100 and for expanding the 300-bed hospital to 500-bed.