Guwahati to have second medical college for Rs 1,000 crore; CM Sarma lays foundation stone

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday laid the foundation stone of a new medical college in Guwahati. It will be constructed at an expenditure of nearly Rs 1,000 crore. The proposed Pragjyotishpur Medical College and Hospital will have two campuses, one at Panbazar and the other at Kalapahar, he said at an official function. The Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMCH) at Panbazar and the Kalapahar TB Hospital will be upgraded and made the two sites of the proposed medical college.

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"The project is being implemented at a total cost of Rs 998.30 crore, covering an area of 62 bighas (over 20 acres)," Sarma said. The Kalapahar campus of the new medical college will have 480 beds, 46 ICUs, seven high-tech operation theatres and accommodation facility for 450 students and 100 interns. The college will provide admission to 100 MBBS students annually. On the other hand, the MMCH campus will have 800 beds, 100 ICUs, state-of-the-art diagnostic facilities, a dialysis unit and 11 OTs among others, Sarma said.

"This new medical college will tremendously augment medical education and healthcare infrastructure in the state and fulfil the medical requirements of Guwahati and nearby areas. "The state government is ramping up healthcare infrastructure in the state keeping in view the future demand and by the end of our present government's tenure, Assam will have 14 medical colleges," he added. There is also the possibility of the inauguration of AIIMS at Changsari by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November this year, Sarma said.

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"Assam has emerged as one of the top three most improved states in incremental performance as per NITI Aayog's health index for 2019-20. We are striving to make Guwahati a hub of medical tourism in South East Asia and infrastructure development is key to achieve that," he asserted.