SSUHS: Going from strength to strength

Prof. (Dr.) Dharmakanta Kumbhakar

(The writer can be reached at drkdharmakanta@yahoo.com)

On February 16, 2026, Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences (SSUHS), Assam, will have completed 17 years of its proud existence. The university was founded on this day in 2009 by the state government of Assam via “The Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences Act, 2007.” The SSUHS is in the Gauhati Medical College campus at Narakasur Hill Top, Bhangagarh, Guwahati.

Earlier, the Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, was affiliated with the Dibrugarh University; the Gauhati Medical College with the Guwahati University; and the Silchar Medical College with the 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 to affiliate all the medical colleges, dental colleges, ayurvedic colleges, pharmacy institutes, nursing colleges, homeopathic colleges, and paramedical institutes in Assam to bring uniformity in standards of medical education in all faculties of health sciences and to provide facilities for research in medical sciences in the state.

Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences is a state university under the government of Assam. The Chief Minister of the state, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, is the present Chancellor, and Prof. (Dr.) Anup Kumar Barman is the present Vice Chancellor of the university. As the only health university in the state, the SSUHS has an important influence on developing healthcare professionals and standardizing medical ed­ucation in Assam. The mission of SSUHS is to create and maintain high standards of medical education and foster collaboration between its institutions and other centers of excellence, both nationally and internationally.

Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences serves as the controlling body for a vast network of government and private medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy, ayurvedic, homeopathic, and paramedical colleges and institutes across Assam. To be recognized by the state government, all health institutes (government and private) in Assam need to be affiliated with the SSUHS. The Pragjyotishpur Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), Guwahati, is the medical college conducted by the university. The university works to standardize teaching and academ­ic activities by introducing uniform rou­tines and teaching plans, uniform examinations and assessments, a centralized assessment program of theory papers, regular training for faculty members, a uniform system of academic breaks and college weeks for students, and a strong semester system for its affiliated colleges and institutes.

Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences offers a comprehensive list of cours­es, including diplomas, undergraduate degrees, postgraduate degrees, fellowships, postdoctoral courses, and Ph.D. programs. The university manages admission to most programs through entrance examinations. For diploma courses like paramedical, pharmacy, GNM, etc.; undergraduate courses like B.Sc. Nursing, B.Sc. Paramedical, B.Pharm, BAMS, BHMS, etc.; and postgraduate courses like MSc Nursing, MD Ayurveda, MS Ayurveda, MD Homeopathy, etc., candidates must clear the Common Entrance Examination (CEE) specific to the courses conducted by the SSUHS. Admission to MBBS, BDS, MD, MS, MDS, DM, and MCh are based on the specific National Eligibility-cum-En­trance Test (NEET). The university runs a well-organized PhD program with a structured qualifying test, coursework, and all proper research programs, as per UGC guidelines.

Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences recognizes the need for promoting medical education and research specific to the problems and needs of the region and aims to encourage students, faculty members, and researchers to focus on medical problems and health issues of the region and seek specific solutions. In addition to the basic discipline of modern biomedical research, the university promotes operational and translational research peculiar to this region. “University Journal of Medical Sciences, SSUHS” is the multidisciplinary medical journal published by the SSUHS, which regularly publishes the research work happening in the region. It publishes original research, review articles, letters to the editor, short communication, and case series/reports. Being a university journal, it publishes a spectrum of healing sciences, modern and traditional medicinal systems, and allied health sciences. This is a unique scope of this journal, as the boundaries between disciplines are dissolving, and the need for integrative research is in demand. The journal is not merely a repository of research but a platform for dialogue. The journal also plans to bring out special issues from time to time.

Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences has already taken the initiative to publish medical textbooks in the Assamese language under the policy guidance of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Srijut Narendra Modi, a national initiative to produce medical textbooks in Indian languages. To standardize medical terminology in the Assamese language, the university has already published an Anglo-Assamese Modern Medical Dictionary.

He Bodhibrikha, Ami Taru Trin, Tumi Bhumi Urbara, Gyanor Grihrartha, Eti Matho Dharma, and Pujo Manabiota—written by Ibsonlal Baruah and tuned by Joy Baruah—is the university anthem.

Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences has developed over the years to its present status. With time and necessary financial help from the government, the university has the capability to become one of the best health sciences universities in the country. We hope that the authority and staff of the university, scholars researching at the university, as well as the faculty members, students, and staff of the colleges and institutes affiliated under the SSUHS, will work hard towards making it one of the best universities of health sciences in India.