GUWAHATI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first AIIMS in Northeast India on Friday along with three other medical colleges in Assam, bringing the total number of medical colleges in Assam to thirteen.
The inauguration ceremony was held in the presence of Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Governor of Assam, Gulab Chand Kataria, Union Minister For Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare of India, Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Assam, Keshab Mahanta, among others.
The three medical colleges are Kokrajhar Medical College and Hospital, Nagaon Medical College and Hospital and Nalbari Medical College and Hospital.
In May 2017, Modi laid the cornerstone for the construction of AIIMS Guwahati, which has cost over ₹1,120 crore.
The AIIMS Guwahati began providing patient care services in August of last year, and in September 2022, a restricted OPD for locals opened. AIIMS Guwahati will begin functioning completely on April 14 with 750 beds.
While speaking at the ceremony, Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma said that another medical college will be established inside the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati where the doctors will work together with engineers towards innovation in the Healthcare sector.
CM Sarma also announced that every ration card holder in the state of Assam will be eligible to avail of a total amount of ₹5 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat scheme for healthcare, annually.
“The Ayushman Bharat cards will be delivered to the homes of 1 crore 10 lakh people in Assam starting today,” CM Sarma further added.
After this, PM Modi will depart for Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, where he will attend the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the Gauhati High Court's closing ceremony.
