Silchar: In a major healthcare boost for Barak Valley, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday laid the foundation stone for a Rs.300-crore, 206-bedded Super Specialty Hospital at Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH).

The new facility, to be built on 16 bighas of land with financial assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), aims to enhance advanced medical services in southern Assam. The hospital will feature six super-specialty departments Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Nephrology, and Urology each with 20 dedicated beds.

The project will also include 27 ICU/ICCU beds, 14 emergency beds, 24 post-operative care beds, 16 pre-operative beds, 10 dialysis beds, and 25 paying cabins. Construction is expected to be completed within 30 months.

Speaking at the event, Sarma said Assam has witnessed a remarkable transformation in healthcare and medical education over the past decade. “When I became Health Minister in 2006, Assam had only 360 MBBS and 150 postgraduate seats. Today, we have 2,000 MBBS and 1,500 postgraduate seats. Students no longer need to go outside the state to study medicine,” he said.

The Chief Minister noted that 14 medical colleges are now operational in Assam, while the Bongaigaon Medical College and Hospital will be completed next year. “Assam has earned a leading position in quality healthcare. Maternal and infant mortality rates have dropped significantly. In the next decade, our focus will be on improving the quality of medical education,” he added.

Calling Silchar Medical College one of the state’s oldest institutions, Sarma said its modernization is a key part of the Assam Health System Strengthening Project supported by JICA. The initiative seeks to establish super-specialty facilities across medical colleges to expand cardiac and neurological care.

The Chief Minister also announced that Silchar Civil Hospital will be reconstructed at a cost of Rs.150 crore. He informed that the ongoing construction of a 500-bedded hospital block within the SMCH campus will be completed by the end of this year. “The old main building will be replaced by a new 1,500-bedded structure, giving the hospital a unified and modern look,” he said.

On the infrastructure front, Sarma revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon lay the foundation stone for a new Rs.35,000-crore highway connecting Barak Valley to Guwahati. “The announcement and foundation stones for projects worth Rs.1,000 crore for Silchar in a single day is unprecedented,” he remarked.

The event was attended by Ministers Kaushik Rai and Krishnendu Paul, MPs Parimal Suklabaidya and Kanad Purkayastha, MLAs Dipayan Chakraborty, Mihir Kanti Shome, Nihar Ranjan Das, and Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, along with senior officials including Medical Education Secretary Siddhartha Singh and SMCH Principal Prof. Debabrata Sinha.

Earlier in the day, Sarma distributed seed money cheques of Rs.10,000 each to 18,745 Self-Help Group members under the Mukhyamantrir Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan at Ramkrishna Nagar in Sribhumi district. The scheme, he said, is designed to help women become financially independent “Lakhpati Baideus,” with eligible beneficiaries receiving enhanced assistance of Rs.25,000 and Rs.50,000 in the next phases.

Reiterating his government’s commitment to women’s safety and dignity, Sarma also announced that the state would soon enact a law banning polygamy, with offenders facing imprisonment of up to seven years. “Our aim is to ensure dignity and protection for every woman,” he said.

Promotional | North East Integration Rally