Tezpur/Mangaldai/Amingaon (Assam), Jan 9: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda on Wednesday rolled out a series of healthcare projects, including a new library and informatics centre at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health (LGBRIMH), in Assam.
Nadda laid the foundation stone of a critical care block at Mangaldai Civil Hospital in Darrang district and reviewed ongoing developmental work at AIIMS Guwahati and other places.
Accompanied by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Nadda reached the LGBRIMH complex and unveiled the library and informatics centre at Tezpur in Sonitpur district.
Nadda reached Guwahati late on Tuesday and was supposed to reach Tezpur by helicopter on Wednesday morning. However, due to inclement weather, he travelled by road from Guwahati, an official said.
Nadda also attended the Board of Governors meeting at LGBRIMH after inaugurating the library and informatics centre along with Sarma and Assam Health and Family Welfare Minister Ashok Singhal.
“I attended the Board of Governors meeting, where several proposals were placed. We approved all those proposals so that the institute moves ahead at a rapid pace in the coming days,” Nadda told reporters after the meeting.
Later in a post on X, he said that the state-of-the-art library and informatics centre will play a crucial role in empowering students with the tools and resources needed for their academic growth and research in mental health.
LGBRIMH is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the central government.
Later, Sarma in a series of posts on X said, “I had the privilege of joining Adarniya Shri @JPNadda ji in dedicating the Library & Informatics Centre at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health and attending its Board of Governors Meeting. The new facilities will boost its research capabilities.”
The LGBRIMH is one of India’s oldest mental health institutions and the best tertiary psychiatric care centre in the Northeast, he added.
“It is gladdening to note that the central government is putting its weight behind taking the capabilities of this great institute to the next level,” Sarma said.
After Tezpur, the Union minister reached Mangaldai in Darrang district, where he laid the foundation stone of a 50-bed state-of-the-art critical care block at Mangaldai Civil Hospital.
“This critical care unit will be ready in one-and-half-years. We are going to develop a total of 28 such critical care units of around Rs 25 crore each across Assam. These centres will change the landscape of healthcare in Assam,” he added.
Nadda, who is also the BJP’s national president, asserted that the state is progressing fast in every sector under the leadership of Sarma and the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Your duty is to strengthen such a government, which is working for you, in due course of time,” he added.
The new critical care block at Mangaldai will be developed under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission at a cost of Rs 23.75 crore, a senior official of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry said.
“This is going to be a major step towards strengthening healthcare in Assam. This initiative will enhance access to advanced healthcare services for the people of the state,” he added.
The official stressed that this initiative underscores the government’s commitment to improving public health infrastructure and delivering quality healthcare for all.
The chief minister said that the critical care block will ensure world-class timely care for patients of Darrang and the adjoining areas on the north bank of Brahmaputra in the coming period.
“We are going to develop 28 such critical care block units in different hospitals of Assam and 100 per cent funding will be done by the Centre,” he added.
He also inspected the facilities at Assam Cancer Hospital in Mangaldai and interacted with the people to seek their feedback on the state’s modern healthcare system.
“This state-of-the-art hospital will provide top-tier cancer care, ensuring that people of Darrang and the surrounding region no longer have to travel outside the state for treatment,” Nadda said later on X.
After that, Nadda assessed the ongoing construction work of the bypass project and the Skill University at Mangaldai.
He also visited the Sipajhar First Referral Unit in Darrang district, interacted with doctors and healthcare workers, reviewed the available facilities, and assessed the quality of services provided.
Nadda’s last programme was at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Guwahati, located in Kamrup district.
There, he along with Sarma, reviewed the ongoing developmental work of healthcare facilities in the presence of senior officials.
“I am fully satisfied with the progress of the AIIMS. The OPD and faculty divisions are functioning very well. The IPD will be further strengthened and fully operational by mid-2025,” Nadda told reporters after the meeting.
He further said that faculty will be enhanced and a few directions have been given to remove “the bottlenecks” in due course of time, before departing from Guwahati. (PTI)
