Assam Medical College to receive Rs 300 crore aid for infrastructure development: CM

DIBRUGARH: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday announced that his government would provide a Rs 300-crore financial assistance to Assam Medical College (AMC) for its infrastructure development.

Sarma, on the occasion of the Dibrugarh medical institute’s platinum jubilee celebrations, paid rich tributes to British philanthropist Dr John Berry White and Assam's first chief minister Gopinath Bordoloi for their contributions in establishing AMC. He noted that the Assam Medical College (AMC), over the past 75 years, has produced many doctors who are now leaders in their chosen fields of expertise.

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"The state government will provide Rs 300 crore to AMC for construction of teachers’ quarters and students' hostels," Sarma said. The CM said his government was keen on providing requisite support to AMC as it transforms itself into a state-of-the-art research institute, capable of dealing with the new-age ailments. Hailing the AMC for maintaining its rich legacy in medical education and treatment, he asked the college management to initiate its growth and development in sync with its heritage.

The chief minister asked the AMC to coordinate with the state government and IIT-Guwahati for "high-end" medical research. Sarma, on this occasion, felicitated a 1947- batch alumnus -- Kamakhya Prasad Chakraborty -- who was also present at the programme. He released a commemorative AMC platinum jubilee postal stamp.

The CM urged the vice chancellor of Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences, which has AMC and other medical colleges affiliated to it, to institute a cash award of Rs 5 lakh for the best MBBS graduate of the year, in honour of the British philanthropist. He flagged off nine advanced life support ambulances, donated by the ONGC as part of its CSR activities.