Kohima, Apr 20 (IANS): With the National Medical Commission (NMC) giving its approval for setting up the 100-seat Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, the first medical college will be set up in the northeastern state since it got statehood 60 years ago in 1963.

Announcing the NMC's approval to set up Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Kohima, Health and Family Welfare Minister P. Paiwang Konyak said on Wednesday that the academic session of the new medical college would begin from 2023-24.

"We received the approval for a 100 seat (MBBS) medical college from the NMC, Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) on Tuesday," Konyak told the media.

Noting that getting approval for the first medical college as historic, he said that the state government would send the acceptance letter soon to enable the MARB to issue the Letter of Permission for starting the academic year 2023-24.

Health and Family Welfare Commissioner and Secretary Y. Kikheto Sema said that the formal classes of the medical college would start by June-July this year.

Of the 100 MBBS seats, 85 would be kept for students of Nagaland domicile, while the remaining 15 seats would be reserved for aspirants from other states.