Ladakh’s first government medical college in Leh will begin operations from the academic year 2027–28 after the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare approved its operationalisation, clearing the way for phased recruitment to 103 sanctioned regular posts.
The approval was announced by the Ladakh government on 20 October. Recruitment of faculty and support staff will begin in phases according to the academic requirements identified by the Union Territory administration. The decision is intended to allow preparations for the first batch of MBBS students to proceed while construction of the college’s dedicated academic infrastructure continues.
A Ladakh government spokesperson said the approval would expand opportunities for students seeking medical education within the Union Territory and strengthen clinical training facilities. The spokesperson also said the college would contribute to the long-term development of healthcare services in Ladakh.
The operationalisation follows a request made by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda on 13 July 2026. Saxena had sought a one-time relaxation from the requirement that nearly 80% of the college’s infrastructure be completed before recruitment of faculty and support staff could begin.
According to the Ladakh administration, the request was intended to prevent recruitment from being delayed until the dedicated facilities were completed. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare agreed to the request, but specified that recruitment against the 103 posts would be staggered from the 2027–28 academic year and linked to the academic requirements of the institution.
The administration will be required to fill the posts regularly under the approved recruitment rules. It has also said that the medical college will shift to its dedicated infrastructure once the proposed facilities are completed. The arrangement links the pace of recruitment to both the academic calendar and the availability of permanent buildings.
Until then, two newly constructed buildings have been identified for temporary use as the Academic Block and Students’ Hostel. Clinical training for the first batch will be supported by the existing 200-bed Sonam Norboo Memorial Hospital in Leh, which has around 60 experienced doctors.
The hospital is expected to provide the clinical training base available to the college during its initial phase. The interim buildings will be used temporarily under conditions stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, while construction of the dedicated medical college infrastructure progresses.
The approval addresses two linked institutional requirements: establishing the college’s academic operations and creating the staffing capacity needed to support them. It also places the responsibility for sequencing recruitment, interim facilities and the eventual transition to permanent infrastructure with the Union Territory administration.
Saxena thanked the Union health minister and described the approval as an important milestone for Ladakh. He said the administration would make the necessary arrangements for the medical college to commence academic activities in 2027–28. The next milestones are phased recruitment against the 103 posts, preparation of the temporary academic and hostel facilities, and completion of the college’s dedicated infrastructure.
