Cabinet nods Rs 2,200-Cr GMCH overhaul, eases medical seats for out-of-state Assamese
Families with Assam roots up to three generations now eligible for medical admissions in state, says CM
A file image of Guwahati Medical College & Hospital (Photo: gmchassam/X)
Guwahati, Oct 6: The Assam Cabinet, on Monday, approved a Rs 4,257-crore mega project to upgrade the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and strengthen the Srimanta Sankardev University of Health Sciences along with several paramedical institutes across the state.
Of the total outlay, Rs 2,200 crore will be utilised to renovate the new GMCH campus. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will fund 80% of the project through the Centre, while the remaining 20% will be borne by the state government.
“The project funded by ADB will see the old GMCH campus demolished and rebuilt into a modern facility capable of accommodating 5,000 patients at a time,” Sarma told the press, after the Cabinet meeting at Lok Sewa Bhawan.
He added that the new structure would be an architectural and medical landmark for the Northeast. “A beautiful new Bhawan will be constructed, making it more advanced than AIIMS or any other medical college in the country,” Sarma said.
In another significant policy reform, the Cabinet also relaxed medical admission rules for Assamese students living outside the state.
Previously, under the 1985 regulation, only students who studied in Assam up to matriculation were eligible for admission in medical institutions in the state.
“If a family has lived in Assam for three generations or originally hails from the state but now works elsewhere, their children will now be eligible for medical admission even if they studied outside Assam,” Sarma said.
He added that the state’s current tally of nearly 1800 medical seats would ensure that local students are not disadvantaged.
“This reform will not affect anyone as Assam now has about 18,000 medical seats,” the Chief Minister said.
Additionally, the Cabinet also decided to extend medical admission benefits to members of the Moran community residing in Arunachal Pradesh.
“They will be treated as citizens of Assam for the purpose of admission and can avail medical seats in Assam’s medical colleges,” Sarma added.