Amit Shah, Union Home Minister, on Sunday inaugurated several major healthcare facilities in Assam, including the Pragjyotishpur Medical College and Hospital, the Golaghat Cancer Centre and the Tinsukia Cancer Centre, in a move aimed at strengthening the state’s medical infrastructure.
Addressing a gathering at the event, Shah praised the efforts of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, saying the state government had taken significant steps towards making Assam self-sufficient in the healthcare sector.
Shah said Sarma had been working to develop a comprehensive healthcare ecosystem in the state so that patients would no longer need to travel outside Assam for treatment.
“He told me that he wants to build such a healthcare system in Assam that not a single patient has to go outside the state to seek treatment,” Shah said while addressing the gathering.
The Union Home Minister added that the state government’s vision is not only to meet the healthcare needs of Assam but also to make the state a medical hub for people from neighbouring regions.
According to Shah, the aim is to create a system where even economically weaker patients from neighbouring states and across the Northeast can come to Assam to access quality treatment.
Highlighting the importance of the newly inaugurated institutions, Shah noted that many patients from Assam and other northeastern states earlier had to travel to cities such as Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi for specialised medical care, particularly cancer treatment.
He said the establishment of the new medical college and cancer centres would allow patients to receive treatment closer to their homes, reducing both the financial burden and the hardship of travelling far from their families.
The facilities are expected to significantly improve access to specialised healthcare services, particularly cancer treatment, for patients from Assam as well as other parts of the Northeast.
