Approved in 2019, Ladakh’s first government medical college is yet to become operational. The Centre has now allowed recruitment to begin against sanctioned regular posts, relaxing a key condition that had held up the hiring of faculty members and support staff. The college is expected to start functioning in the 2027-28 academic year, although the opening of its permanent campus in Leh will take longer as construction is still underway.
The Union Health Ministry has allowed the Ladakh administration to fill 103 sanctioned regular posts in phases without waiting for nearly 80 per cent of the college’s infrastructure to be completed.
The decision follows a letter dated July 13 from Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to Union Health Minister JP Nadda, seeking a one-time relaxation of the recruitment condition to allow preparations to begin while construction continues.
For now, the college will operate from temporary facilities. The administration has identified two newly constructed buildings to house the academic block and students’ hostel.
Leh’s 200-bed SNM Hospital, which has around 60 experienced doctors, will provide clinical training to the first batch of MBBS students under the proposed arrangement.
In March 2023, a parliamentary standing committee flagged the delay, noting that no substantial progress had been made on the college’s infrastructure. The detailed project report was also under examination at the time.
The committee recommended removing administrative bottlenecks and accelerating construction. It also suggested starting academic activities at an existing hospital rather than waiting for the permanent campus to be completed.
The delay has left Ladakh without a government medical college of its own, forcing students seeking medical education to look outside the Union Territory.
For the 2026-27 academic year, Ladakh was allotted seven MBBS seats under the Central Pool, all at medical colleges outside the region.
Under the latest arrangement, recruitment for the 103 posts will begin in phases from the 2027-28 academic year, depending on academic requirements. The college will shift to its permanent campus once construction is complete.
