Shillong, July 09: Meghalaya Chief Minister Shri Conrad K. Sangma today reviewed the progress of infrastructure works and health services at the Baghmara Civil Hospital, South Garo Hills.
The review was attended by Dr. Sampath Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary in charge of Health and Family Welfare, the Deputy Commissioner of South Garo Hills, and senior officers of the Health and Family Welfare Department.
The Chief Minister directed that all ongoing and proposed works be pursued on priority and completed expeditiously, with progress monitored closely.
The operation theatre at the hospital, made functional in 2025, has since supported 85 surgeries, of which 42 were Caesarean sections. The hospital served 20,108 outpatients and admitted 2,334 inpatients in 2025, and recorded 10,143 outpatients in the first half of 2026, reflecting steady demand for its services.
It provides emergency obstetric and Caesarean services, and a transit home allows expectant mothers to stay close to the hospital ahead of delivery.
Four works are currently under way or under tender at the hospital, together sanctioned at about Rs 11.37 crore. The renovation of the old CHC building, which now houses a refurbished outpatient block, has reached 85 per cent physical progress and is nearing completion.
The overhead water tank being built by the PHE Department is 70 per cent complete. The renovation of 25 residential quarters for medical and paramedical staff is under way, and the Phase-II works to develop a 70-bedded hospital are at the tendering stage.
Ongoing and tendered civil works at Baghmara Civil Hospital reviewed on 9th July 2026. Following the Additional Chief Secretary’s visit on 22nd June, 2026, a set of new facilities is being taken up.
A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is to be established and made operational, with equipment procurement being initiated in parallel and staff being trained for the purpose. An operational plan for a blood bank is
being prepared, and the unit is to be made functional in a phased manner. The transit home for expectant mothers, which can presently accommodate four, is being expanded using a prefabricated structure to house 10 to 15 mothers, while a full birth waiting home is under process.
An integrated 50-bedded Mother and Child Health wing is also planned. These facilities are to be developed with support under the Central assistance for public health infrastructure.
The review also covered the proposed upgrade of the Chokpot Community Health Centre into a First Referral Unit, with comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care, a blood storage unit, a newborn stabilisation unit and round-the-clock referral services.
On human resources, the Chief Minister directed that the recruitment of specialists be expedited. The District Health Society has advertised for a Gynaecologist and a Paediatrician, and steps are under way to strengthen the hospital’s specialist, nursing and paramedical strength.
Reviewing each component, the Chief Minister stressed that these works must translate into reliable, good quality care for the people of South Garo Hills, and instructed the Health and Family Welfare Department to pursue the works on priority and to report progress regularly.
Refurbished outpatient corridor at the old CHC building (physical progress 85 per cent. Overhead water tank under construction by the PHE Department 70 per cent complete.
