Assam- To prevent the exodus of meritorious students outside the state as well as abroad, the Government of Assam recently announced its ambitious plan to establish a new medical college in every district of the state. This announcement was made recently by Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma.

This announcement was made during the inauguration ceremony of Pragjyotishpur Medical College and Hospital in Guwahati. During the ceremony, the Chief Minister stated that Assam currently has 15 medical colleges and approximately 2,000 MBBS seats. With the construction of 10 additional colleges currently underway, the total number of seats is expected to reach 5,000 by 2030.

Acknowledging industrialist Radhakishan Damani's significant contribution to the Pragjyotishpur Medical College and Hospital, Sarma stated that Damani's trust has borne the cost of approximately ₹150 crore for the construction of the institution's academic building. In honour of his generosity and at his own specific request, this academic building has been named after Damani's mother. The Chief Minister expressed the gratitude of the people of Assam to Damani for this support.

Along with this, the CM cited the return of Indian medical students from Ukraine following the outbreak of the war there as a primary reason for a national-level re-evaluation of the capacity of medical education. He stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has closely examined this issue and has formulated a plan to create one lakh MBBS seats across India, ensuring that students no longer need to travel abroad to pursue medical education.

Meanwhile, Sarma also mentioned the setting of an unparalleled network of cancer hospitals in the government sector. Currently, the state has 12 cancer care centres; two more centres were inaugurated on Saturday, and three others are currently under construction.

Moreover, Assam is moving forward with plans to install a proton beam therapy machine.

Source: Medical Dialogues - March 17,2026