AssamCM Inaugurates 750-Bed Hospital in Deoghar

Dalim Phukan.
Hills Live News, Guwahati, September 23: Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday inaugurated the 750-bed Baba Baidyanath Medical Trust Hospital at Deoghar in Jharkhand, describing the new facility as a major addition to the region’s healthcare infrastructure.
The state-of-the-art hospital has been established jointly by the Baba Baidyanath Medical Trust and P.D. Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre. Speaking at the inauguration, Dr. Sarma said a medical college would also be established at the hospital site in the future.
The Chief Minister expressed hope that the hospital would provide advanced healthcare services, particularly to people from economically weaker and middle-income sections of society. He said Deoghar, already an important centre of spiritual tourism, could gradually emerge as a centre of medical tourism as well.
Referring to the development of Deoghar and Godda, Dr. Sarma said the region now has an airport, AIIMS, railway connectivity and a ring road. He credited the development of the Godda parliamentary constituency to the leadership of local MP Nishikant Dubey and said the inauguration of the new hospital would further strengthen the region’s healthcare infrastructure.
Drawing on his experience as Assam’s Health Minister for nearly 15 years, Dr. Sarma said hospital architecture and design were important factors in ensuring the success of a healthcare institution. He expressed satisfaction with the facilities at the new hospital, including its ICU, emergency unit and general wards.
He said the hospital had been designed with the convenience of ordinary people in mind. According to the Chief Minister, MP Nishikant Dubey and Baba Baidyanath Medical Trust Chairperson Dr. Anamika Gautam had taken a keen interest in the design and construction of the facility.
Dr. Sarma also highlighted the Trust’s stated objective of providing public service rather than pursuing profit. He said the Trust’s collaboration with the Hinduja Group reflected that approach and expressed hope that the combined efforts of the Trust, its leadership and the Hinduja Group would turn the hospital into a major centre of public service.
The Chief Minister further expressed hope that AIIMS Deoghar and the Baba Baidyanath Medical Trust Hospital would complement each other and strengthen healthcare services for people in Jharkhand and Bihar. He recalled that people from Deoghar, Godda and other parts of Jharkhand previously had to travel to Kolkata for advanced medical treatment.
On the country’s medical education infrastructure, Dr. Sarma said the number of medical colleges in India had increased from 387 in 2014 to 846 at present. He also said annual MBBS production had risen from 51,384 doctors to 1,39,864, while 22 AIIMS institutions had been established across the country.
Speaking about Assam, Dr. Sarma said the state had 16 medical colleges at present, compared with only three in earlier decades. He said Assam was currently producing around 2,200 doctors annually, compared with about 350 earlier.
He said the state government had a vision of establishing 32 more medical colleges in Assam in addition to AIIMS and the ESIC Medical College. The number of MBBS seats in the state, he said, would be increased to 4,000.
The Chief Minister also said that the latest State Budget had announced the deployment of two doctors at each of Assam’s 5,000 sub-health centres to create employment opportunities for the growing number of medical graduates.
Local MP Nishikant Dubey, Baba Baidyanath Medical Trust Chairperson Dr. Anamika Gautam and other dignitaries attended the inauguration ceremony.