Rio unveils medical college

H. CHISHI

Neiphiu Rio Kohima, March 3: Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio today unveiled the foundation stone of the long-awaited Nagaland Medical College at a ceremony in Phriebagie here. Speaking on the occasion, Rio said with the laying of the foundation stone of the medical college here, the people’s long cherished dream to have their own medical college has become a reality. He expressed gratitude to Nagaland governor Ashwani Kumar for taking up the issue of a medical college in Nagaland. He also expressed his appreciation to the landowners of Kohima village and also to health and family welfare minister Imkong L. Imchen, who had taken keen interest in transforming this dream into reality, both at the ministry and local levels. He cited that every year more than thousands of patients are referred outside for treatment because of lack of facilities here. However, this would change with the new medical college in the state. People in distress can also avail facilities at a minimal cost. Sentiyanger Imchen, commissioner and secretary (health and family welfare), presented a brief introduction of the medical college. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 189 crore for the establishment of the medical college in Nagaland and the funds are to be contributed in the ratio of 90:10 between the Centre and the state. Chairman, Kohima Village Council, Neivor Rutsa on behalf of the council, felicitated Rio and Imkong. Imkong acknowledged Union health and family welfare minister Ghulam Nabi Azad for providing a tertiary care cancer centre in addition to the medical college for which an amount of Rs 45 crore has been sanctioned. In another programme, chief minister Neiphiu Rio inaugurated the State Emergency Operation Centre this afternoon at the Old Assembly Secretariat. The State EOC will be the nerve centre for Nagaland State Disaster Management Agency officials and other nodal department heads to assemble, take stock of a disaster situation and coordinate response during emergencies. It is a repository of all the information and decision support systems. The role of the EOC is to provide a central location from which the government at any level can provide inter-agency coordination and prompt executive decision making for effective incident response.