Assam to Have 5,000 MBBS Seats by 2030, CM Himanta Announces Medical College in Every District

Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday announced plans to set up medical colleges in every district of Assam, saying the goal was to ensure that meritorious students no longer needed to travel abroad or outside the state for medical education.

Speaking at the inaugural function of Pragjyotishpur Medical College and Hospital in Guwahati, Sarma said Assam currently has 15 medical colleges and approximately 2,000 MBBS seats. With 10 more colleges under construction, the total number of seats is expected to reach 5,000 by 2030.

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The Chief Minister cited the return of Indian medical students from Ukraine after the outbreak of war there as the trigger for a national rethink on medical education capacity. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had examined the issue closely and planned to create one lakh MBBS seats across India to eliminate the need for students to seek medical education abroad.

On cancer care, Sarma said Assam had built an unmatched network of cancer hospitals in the government sector. The state now has 12 functional cancer care centres, inaugurated two more on Saturday, and has three more under construction.

In a landmark announcement, the Chief Minister said Assam is moving forward with the installation of a proton beam therapy machine — a large and advanced radiotherapy technology — at Gauhati Cancer Hospital, at a cost of approximately Rs 500 crore. He said this would be the first such machine in a government hospital anywhere in India.

Sarma acknowledged the significant contribution of industrialist Radhakishan Damani to Pragjyotishpur Medical College and Hospital, noting that Damani's trust had borne approximately Rs 150 crore for the construction of the institution's academic building. In recognition of his generosity, the academic building has been named after Damani's mother, as per his request. The Chief Minister expressed the gratitude of the people of Assam to Damani for his support.