Karimganj left out; 4 new medical colleges to come up in Assam

Sept. 12: If land could be managed, then the construction work for a Medical College in Karimganj will be started by October- November, 2020 along with 3 other new Medical Colleges in the state. This was announced by State Health Minister, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma while speaking to newsmen in Guwahati on 20 August. However, just after 23 days on 12 September, Dr. Biswa Sarma during a press briefing in Guwahati declared that from the month of December, the work of establishing four new medical colleges will start at Biswanath Chariali, Charaideo, Goalpara and the second one in Guwahati.

The minister further said that an amount of Rs.2050 crore has been sanctioned for the purpose of constructing the 4 medical colleges. Dr. Biswa Sarma further mentioned that the 2nd medical college will be built in Guwahati in collaboration with Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMCH) and Kalapahar TB Hospital. This new medical college will be the largest one in entire Northeast India. There will be 800 beds at MMCH and 500 beds at Kalapahar TB Hospital.

However, in this attempt, Karimganj was left out. This caused resentment among the people of Karimganj. On 20 August, Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that 3 new Medical Colleges will be built at Biswanath Chariali, Goalpara and Charaideo.” He also said, “In the meantime, if I am able to get land, then the work for construction of Medical College in Karimganj will also start during this time (October to November). So it remains not clear why the process of land acquisition could not be completed within the stipulated time in Karimganj district! Silchar Medical College & Hospital (SMCH) at present caters to the huge number of patients from the 3 districts of Barak Valley and some neighbouring states of Northeast. A 2nd medical college in the valley would have certainly eased the load of SMCH and would have been able to become life saviour for many.