Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announces plans to increase MBBS seats to 4,000 by 2031, highlighting the expansion of medical colleges, rising doctor production and plans to deploy doctors across 5,000 sub-health centres to strengthen healthcare services.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced an ambitious target to increase the number of MBBS seats in the state to 4,000 by 2031, as part of a broader expansion of medical education and healthcare infrastructure. The announcement was made while Sarma addressed the inauguration of the 750-bed Baba Baidyanath Medical Trust Hospital in Deoghar, Jharkhand, on Wednesday.
Highlighting the progress made in Assam’s medical education sector, Sarma said the state currently has 16 medical colleges and produces around 2,200 doctors every year. He said the expansion is aimed at addressing the long-standing shortage of doctors and strengthening the state’s healthcare system.
According to the Chief Minister, Assam has also outlined a long-term vision for establishing 32 more medical colleges across the state. This expansion would be in addition to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and ESIC Medical College already functioning in Assam. Sarma noted that 16 medical colleges have already been established as part of the state’s efforts to expand medical education.
Sarma also recalled the limited medical education infrastructure Assam had for several decades. He said the state’s first medical college was established in the 1950s, followed by the second in the 1960s and the third in the 1970s. For a state with a population of around 3.5 crore, the limited number of medical colleges had resulted in a significant gap between healthcare requirements and the availability of trained doctors.
The Chief Minister said Assam previously produced only around 300 to 350 doctors annually. He said the expansion of medical colleges in recent years has substantially increased the number of doctors being trained in the state, with annual production now reaching around 2,200 doctors.
The proposed target of 4,000 MBBS seats by 2031 is expected to further increase the number of medical graduates emerging from institutions in Assam. The expansion is also intended to create a larger pool of trained healthcare professionals who can serve in different parts of the state.
Sarma said the increase in medical education capacity would also need to be supported by adequate employment opportunities for the growing number of doctors. In this regard, he referred to provisions announced in the latest State Budget for strengthening healthcare staffing at the grassroots level.
According to Sarma, the state government has announced plans to deploy two doctors at each of Assam’s 5,000 sub-health centres. The move is intended to expand the availability of medical professionals beyond major cities and medical institutions and improve access to healthcare services at the local level.
The Chief Minister’s remarks underline the connection between the expansion of medical education and the strengthening of Assam’s healthcare delivery system. Increasing MBBS seats, establishing more medical colleges and creating employment opportunities for doctors are being planned as interconnected measures to address healthcare manpower requirements.
The expansion also reflects the state’s broader efforts to build medical education infrastructure after decades of limited capacity. With the number of medical colleges having increased significantly and annual doctor production rising from around 350 to approximately 2,200, Assam is now targeting another major increase in undergraduate medical education capacity.
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The 4,000 MBBS seat target by 2031, along with the proposed expansion of medical colleges and deployment of doctors at sub-health centres, is expected to shape the state’s medical education and healthcare workforce planning over the coming years. The government has indicated that the measures are aimed at creating a stronger medical education ecosystem while improving the availability of healthcare professionals across Assam.
