A CORRESPONDENT
DIBRUGARH: The prestigious Dr John Berry White Medical Museum will open on July 1, the National Doctors’ Day. Dibrugarh District Commissioner Bikram Kairi chaired a meeting on the Dr John Berry White Museum Project on Sunday.
Dibrugarh MLA Prasanta Phukan; Dibrugarh Mayor Dr Saikat Patra; Superintendent of Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) Dr Dhrubajyoti Bhuyan; officer-bearers of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Dibrugarh chapter; and other officials concerned were present at the meeting.
Speaking to The Sentinel, Dibrugarh MLA Prasanta Phukan said, “We have decided to reopen Dr John Berry White Medical Museum. It’s a prestigious project for us, lying in neglect. Now, we have decided to hand over the project to the Dibrugarh Municipal Corporation (DMC). The meeting decided to form a committee to oversee the whole project.”
“For the beautification of the project, we have decided to install solar lights and take a slew of measures for the beautification of the entire project. Landscaping will be done in the area to beautify the project,” said Prasanta Phukan.
Mayor Dr Saikat Patra also said, “On Tuesday, Dibrugarh District Commissioner Bikram Kairi chaired a meeting on the Dr John Berry White Medical Museum project, and it has been decided that the cleanliness and maintenance parts will be looked after by DMC. A committee will be soon formed comprising IMA office-bearers and officials from AMCH and the district health department to look after the project.”
The Rs 2.1-crore initiative, funded by OIL under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, was originally slated for completion in April 2019. But due to neglect, it has not been opened.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Oil India Limited (OIL) and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) was signed on January 10, 2018; the project has missed multiple deadlines.
The Sentinel newspaper has done many stories regarding the delay of the project, and it tries to highlight the negligence of the department for the project.
Established in 1900, four years after the death of its founder, Dr John Berry White, the institution marked the beginning of medical education in Northeast India. Dr White, a British surgeon who served in Assam for 24 years under the East India Company, dedicated his life savings to set up the school.
His vision not only laid the foundation for medical education in the region but also paved the way for the establishment of the Assam Medical College in 1947.
Also Read: No Reply of RTI on Dr John Berry White Medical School Museum Status