Prof. (Dr.) Dharmakanta Kumbhakar
(The writer can be reached at drkdharmakanta@yahoo.com)
The history of modern medi-cal education in Assam is fas-cinating and glowing. Mod-ern medical education in the state started with the establishment of Berry White Medical School in 1900 at Graham Bazar of Dibrugarh. The school conferred the diploma Licentiate Medical Practitioner (LMP) in old undivided Assam. Later, on November 3, 1947, this medical school was upgraded to Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, to teach the MBBS course and later postgraduate and superspeciality courses. The establishment of Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, was a landmark event in the history of modern medical education in Assam as well as in Northeast India. On September 20, 1960, the Gauhati Medical College was formally inaugurated, and subsequently the Silchar Medical College was formally inaugurated on August 15, 1968, at Ghungoor, Silchar.
It took nearly forty-one years more to realize the need for more medical colleges in the state. Until 2009 there were only three medical colleges in Assam with limited numbers of undergraduate and postgraduate seats. People in Assam have seen the development of modern medical education, healthcare infrastructure, and healthcare facilities in the last two decades. This achievement is because of the vision and dynamism of Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister of Assam. The entire medical education and health sectors were uplifted during his long tenure as Health & FW minister from 2006 to 2021 and Chief Minister from 2021 to date. Jorhat Medical College on October 12, 2009; Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College at Barpeta on February 11, 2011; Tezpur Medical College on January 30, 2014; and Diphu Medical College on November 25, 2019 were established during the tenure of Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma as Health & FW Minister.
Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma became Chief Minister in 2021. The number of medical colleges has doubled from seven in 2021 to 14 in 2025, with 10 more (Bongaigaon, Biswanath, Charaideo, Darrang, Golaghat, Dhemaji, Tamulpur, Marigaon, Sivasagar, and Sribhumi) under construction, reflecting the state’s commitment to equitable healthcare access across regions. This expansion has been complemented by a significant rise in academic capacity—MBBS seats have grown from 1000 to 1875, postgraduate seats have increased from 671 to 803, and 46 DM/M Ch seats have been added, ensuring a stronger pipeline of trained doctors and specialists. The state government aims to establish a minimum of one medical college in each district. We can hope that the new medical colleges will stand out in their own right.
Earlier, the academics of Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, were affiliated with Dibrugarh University; Gauhati Medical College with Gauhati University; and Silchar Medical College with Assam University, Silchar. In 2009, the then Health Minister of Assam, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, established the Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences at Guwahati (February 16 is the foundation day of SSUHS) to affiliate all the medical colleges of Assam and to bring parity in the quality of modern medical education given in different medical colleges, nursing colleges, and paramedical institutes in the state; to bring uniformity in standards of education in all faculties of health sciences; and to provide facilities for research. It is the only health university in the northeastern region. SSUHS offers a variety of modern medical courses within the jurisdiction of Assam. The university-conducted medical college is Pragjyotishpur Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), Guwahati.
The process of healthcare infrastructure development in Assam is in full swing under the dynamic leadership of CM, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma. All medical colleges are well equipped with proper infrastructure, diagnostic laboratories, research labs, library facilities, etc., that are key for providing quality medical education. There is a sufficient number of qualified and skilled faculty in all medical colleges of Assam. It is seen nowadays that brighter and more dynamic young medical postgraduates want to join medical colleges of the state as faculty, as the government is attracting fresh minds to boost modern medical teaching by offering attractive salaries, the Dynamic Assured Career Progression Scheme, sponsorship for conferences, interest-free loans for newly appointed medical college faculty members to purchase a vehicle, job security, provident fund, post-retirement benefits, better accommodation, recreational scope, proper working facilities, a fair and transparent transfer policy, etc.
The new medical, dental, nursing, and paramedical institutes established by the Assam Government under SSUHS, ESI Medical College (Guwahati), and AIIMS (Guwahati) not only give the students opportunities for medical education but also increase the scope of affordable quality tertiary healthcare facilities at the district levels. Medical college hospitals are pursuing National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) accreditations for quality enhancements. All medical colleges are equipped with CT scan and MRI machines. The ADB-funded Rs 4287 crore project is rebuilding GMCH, upgrading AMCH and SMCH, and enhancing tertiary care capacity with robotic surgery. CN centers, superspecialty hospitals, and cancer hospitals attached to medical colleges are providing quality tertiary healthcare facilities. The Proton Therapy Centre is established at the State Cancer Institute, Guwahati, to ensure access to cutting-edge cancer treatment, which is the first such facility in Eastern India and the third in the country. The ophthalmology department of GMCH is upgraded to a Center of Excellence for eye care through a landmark MoU with LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, to bring world-class expertise, advanced sub-specialities like vitreoretinal surgery, paediatric ophthalmology and robust training programmes with fellowships and surgical workshops. The new MCH building of GMCH was recently inaugurated.
The state government and SSUHS are taking a holistic approach for advancing modern medical education throughout the state.