Guwahati, Feb 15: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday dedicated Lakhimpur Medical College and Hospital to the service of the people, giving yet another push to medical education and health infrastructure in the state.
With the inauguration of the medical institution, the total number of medical colleges and hospitals in Assam has gone up to eight.
The Lakhimpur Medical College and Hospital has been built at a cost of Rs 500.89 crore across 168 bigha land with an intake capacity of 100.
With the new facility, the total number of MBBS seats in Assam has now risen to 1100.
The medical college and hospital has five state-of-the-art lecture halls, accommodation facility for 430 students, 122 interns and 66 resident doctors each apart from residential quarters for medical and paramedical staff.
Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Sarma termed the day as historic in the annals of quality healthcare delivery system in the state.
He said that with the inauguration of Lakhimpur Medical College and Hospital as the eighth medical college and hospital in the state, advanced health care needs of the people of Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Biswanath would be met considerably.
The chief minister also informed that the college would be upgraded to the postgraduate level in the coming days to meet the need of super-specialty doctors.
He also said that his government was working to introduce post-graduate medical education in other medical colleges which are currently imparting graduate-level degrees.
“In the next financial year, the state government will set up five more medical colleges in different districts. Besides, a cancer hospital will also be built at Lakhimpur along with a dental college and B. Sc nursing institute,” Sarma said.
The chief minister further said that all villages in Assam will have at least two doctors in the coming years.