GUWAHATI: The inaugural function of the academic programme of the first batch of MBBS students in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Guwahati was held at the Assam Administrative Staff College here on Tuesday.
Addressing participants at the function, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal congratulated the students of the first MBBS batch at AIIMS, Guwahati campus, saying that the inauguration of the academic programme on National Youth Day, which is Swami Vivekananda’s birthday, is a welcome development.
Sonowal thanked Prime Minister Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union health minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan for the initiative to set up a world-class health institute like AIIMS in Assam.
The chief minister appreciated the hard work of state health minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma in bringing the idea of an AIIMS in Assam to fruition, attributing the success to the joint efforts of the central and state governments.
He also referred to Assam’s success in the fight against coronavirus and thanked the health department and other agencies of the government for exemplary performance.
Virtually delivering his speech as the chief guest of the programme, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan called on the students to work with sincerity, dedication and hard work to become good doctors so that they could provide service to the society in future.
He also appreciated the Assam government for its success in the fight against COVID-19.
Union minister of state for health and family welfare, Ashwini Kumar Choubey hailed the day as historic while ruing the delay in construction work of AIIMS in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic.
He informed that the Guwahati campus of the premier medical institute would be ready by the first half of 2022 and dedicated to the people.
State health minister Himanta Biwa Sarma, in his speech, thanked Prime Minister Modi for the historic initiative of setting up AIIMS in Assam.
The Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone of the premier institute on May 26, 2017 and conducted bhumipujan at Changsari on February 9, 2019 while allocating Rs 150 crore for the project.