Assam CM announces, lays foundation stones for multiple development projects worth Rs 1,000 crore for Silchar

Silchar (Assam) [India], October 24 (ANI): As part of his two-day visit to Barak Valley, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday laid the foundation stone for a new 208-bedded Super Speciality Hospital at Silchar Medical College and Hospital.
It may be noted that the hospital, to be constructed on 16 bighas of land with financial assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will have six clinical departments, namely Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Nephrology, and Urology.
The total project cost, including infrastructure development and procurement of advanced medical equipment, is estimated at around Rs. 300 crore. The construction is targeted for completion within 30 months.
The hospital will include 20 beds each for the six super-speciality departments, 14 emergency beds, 27 ICU/ICCU beds, 24 post-operative care beds, 16 pre-operative care beds, and 10 dialysis beds. It will also have 25 paying cabins.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that at present, 14 medical colleges and hospitals are operational in Assam, providing healthcare services to the people.
He informed that the construction of Bongaigaon Medical College and Hospital will be completed next year.
Stating that when he became Health Minister in 2006, there were only 360 MBBS seats and 150 postgraduate seats in all medical colleges in Assam. Today, the number of seats has increased to 2,000 MBBS and 1,500 postgraduate.
He said that this remarkable progress has brought transformative changes to the state's medical education sector. Due to the increase in seats, students from Assam no longer need to go outside the state to study medicine.
He further noted that Assam has earned a notable place in the country for quality healthcare delivery.
The Chief Minister also mentioned the significant decline in maternal and infant mortality rates in the state.
He emphasised that in the coming decade, the focus would be on improving the quality of medical education in Assam.
CM Sarma stated that Silchar Medical College, being one of the three oldest medical colleges in the state, has been receiving special attention from the government for its overall development. Under the 'Assam Health System Strengthening Project', funded by JICA, the State government has undertaken the construction of Super Speciality Hospitals in various medical colleges to provide advanced healthcare services such as cardiac and neurological surgeries.
The Chief Minister further informed that the government has also planned to reconstruct the Silchar Civil Hospital at an estimated cost of Rs . 150 crore.
He added that the ongoing construction of the 500-bed hospital building within the Silchar Medical College campus will be completed by the end of this year. Moreover, the old main building of the Medical College will be replaced with a new 1,500-bedded building. Once the new structure is completed, the old one will be demolished, giving the entire hospital a unified and modern look.
The Chief Minister also stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone within the next 3-4 months for a new highway connecting Barak Valley to Guwahati at an estimated cost of Rs. 35,000 crore. This ambitious road project will bring revolutionary improvements to the connectivity and transportation infrastructure of the entire valley.
He also mentioned that the foundation stone and announcement of Rs. 1,000 crore for the development of Silchar on a single day is unprecedented.
Minister Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Kaushik Rai, Minister Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Krishnendu Paul, Members of Parliament Parimal Suklabaidya and Kanad Purkayastha, MLAs Dipayan Chakraborty, Mihir Kanti Shome, Nihar Ranjan Das, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, Commissioner and Secretary of Medical Education and Research Siddhartha Singh, Principal Silchar Medical College Prof. Debabrata Sinha, and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion. (ANI)