Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday inaugurated the State Cancer Institute (SCI) and the extended emergency department at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). The inauguration was part of the state government’s ‘Vikash Yatra’, under which several projects worth Rs 661.03 crore were launched in the Kamrup Metropolitan district.
The SCI is equipped with 350 beds and will offer comprehensive medical services, including radiation, chemotherapy, robotic surgery, nuclear medicine, bone marrow transplant, academics, and research. The hospital has state-of-the-art facilities such as MRI, CT, mammography, digital X-ray, endoscopy, laboratory, and blood bank. The total project cost is estimated to be Rs 395 crore.
Speaking at the event, Chief Minister Sarma highlighted the state government’s efforts in establishing a robust cancer care system in Assam. He mentioned the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tata Trusts in 2018 to implement the project.
Under this initiative, an apex referral centre at SCI (L1), five comprehensive cancer care centres (L2s) at Dibrugarh, Barpeta, Silchar, Diphu, and Dhubri, and 11 diagnostic and daycare clinics (L3s) were established across the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated seven hospitals in Dibrugarh, Barpeta, Lakhimpur, Tezpur, Jorhat, Darrang, and Kokrajhar in April 2022 as part of the state government’s efforts to make Assam a healthcare destination for the Northeast and South East Asian nations.
In a separate event, Chief Minister Sarma also inaugurated a PET-CT machine at Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) in Guwahati. The project, worth Rs 13.14 crore, is expected to benefit approximately 2,000 patients annually.
The Assam government, in collaboration with the central government, aims to transform BBCI into a centre of excellence, providing cutting-edge treatment options within the state.
Additionally, Chief Minister Sarma launched the direct benefit transfer of Rs 9,000 each to one lakh households to construct individual toilets under the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ in Assam.
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Other projects inaugurated by the Chief Minister include Kar Bhawan, built at Rs 122 crore, a night shelter for building and construction workers, and the expanded Purabi Dairy Plant, which received an outlay of Rs 49 crore.
The foundation stones were laid for the Umananda Modular Terminal- IWT at Umananda Ghat, with a budgetary provision of Rs 56 crore, and a patient guest house at GMCH for the Tea Tribes community, estimated to cost Rs 7 crore.
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