Assam Aims for 30 Medical Colleges by 2029: CM Sarma

Reaffirming his government’s dual focus on employment generation and healthcare reform, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday handed over appointment letters to 400 newly recruited Medical and Health Officers at a ceremonial function in Guwahati.

The latest recruitment drive takes the total number of government jobs created under Sarma’s administration to over 1.2 lakh. Reiterating his promise to provide 1.5 lakh government jobs, the Chief Minister described the appointments as “a significant leap toward that goal.”

“These new officers will strengthen our mission to ensure quality healthcare delivery at the grassroots,” Sarma said. “Creating employment and transforming public health infrastructure have consistently been two of our government’s top priorities.”

The Chief Minister noted that the state’s focused interventions in the health sector have led to measurable improvements in key indicators. “When I first took over as Health Minister, Assam’s maternal mortality rate was 480. Today, it has dropped to 167. With sustained efforts, we are confident of reaching the national average within the next three to four years,” he said.

Sarma also laid out an ambitious roadmap for expanding medical education, announcing that the state is targeting 30 medical colleges by 2029. “From just three medical colleges in 2006, we now have 13 fully functional institutions delivering quality, affordable healthcare,” he said. “This expansion has improved access to treatment and created significant employment opportunities for our youth.”

Reflecting on his early initiatives in the sector, Sarma recalled, “When I began work on Jorhat Medical College as Health Minister, there was widespread skepticism. Today, the inauguration of a medical college is almost a routine event in Assam.”

Underscoring the importance of collaboration, he called for greater synergy between public and private healthcare systems. “Private hospitals should complement—not compete with—the public sector. Only then can we build a truly patient-centric healthcare ecosystem,” Sarma added.

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