Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today inaugurated the newly built Lakhimpur Nursing College under the Assam Cancer Care Foundation (ACCF) and performed bhoomipujan for a Super-Specialty Hospital in Lakhimpur.
The Lakhimpur Nursing College is the second such institution established under ACCF, after the Barpeta Nursing College inaugurated last October. It is the first-of-its-kind nursing college in Assam with the highest number of seats and also the first B Sc Nursing College on the north bank of the Brahmaputra.
The new college will not only cater to cancer care needs but also strengthen Assam’s overall healthcare system by enhancing the availability of skilled nurses. On the occasion, Sarma paid homage to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 150th birth anniversary and urged everyone to draw inspiration from Patel’s ideals and contribute to nation-building.
Highlighting the crucial role of nurses in cancer care, the Chief Minister said that while doctors are specially trained for cancer treatment, nursing care remains equally vital at every stage. He informed that the Government has decided to set up a B Sc Nursing College alongside each of the 17 cancer hospitals being established across Assam.
With the opening of this new college, Lakhimpur will now emerge as a major hub for nursing education, he said adding that another nursing college is also being planned at Lakhimpur Medical College, which will offer both B Sc and M Sc Nursing courses.
Sarma observed that with rapid modernisation, diseases are on the rise and so is the demand for healthcare professionals. He mentioned that thousands of nurses from Kerala are working abroad and that more than 50 Assamese nurses are currently employed in Singapore, earning monthly salaries between `1.5 to 2 lakh.
He further informed that Japan and South Korea have recently shown interest in recruiting nurses from Assam.
To support such opportunities, the Government has launched the Chief Minister’s Foreign Language Initiative for Global Human Resources (CM-FLIGHT), under which three Japanese language training centres have been set up in Guwahati.
Speaking on expanding super-specialty health infrastructure in Assam, the Chief Minister announced that apart from the 800-bed hospital by Medanta Group in Guwahati, Max Hospital Group will establish a hospital in the city.
He mentioned that discussions are underway with three other major hospital groups to set up hospitals in Assam, which will generate significant employment for nurses. Sarma informed that the Health Department and NHM together recruit 1,500 to 2,000 nurses every year, adding that nursing education can play a vital role in addressing unemployment in the State.
Calling the establishment of the Lakhimpur Nursing College a moment of great pride for the district, he said that the north bank of the Brahmaputra, once one of the most neglected regions, has now become one of the most developed areas of Assam.
He highlighted key developments including the establishment of medical colleges in Biswanath, Lakhimpur and Dhemaji, Madhabdev University in Bihpuria, North Lakhimpur University at the district headquarter and a campus of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Gogamukh.
Addressing healthcare infrastructure, Sarma said that the new Super-Specialty Hospital in Lakhimpur will be built at a cost of `190 crore, with `100 crore worth of medical equipment, taking the total investment to nearly `300 crore.
The hospital will feature six major departments including Neurology, Neurosurgery, Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Nephrology and Urology along with ICUs and paying cabins.
Once completed within three years, it will transform healthcare delivery in the region he said. He also informed that a civil hospital is under construction at Narayanpur and work on another 200-bed civil hospital in Dhakuakhana will begin within two months.
Education Minister Dr Ranoj Pegu, MP Pradan Baruah, MLAs Manab Deka, Amiya Kumar Bhuyan, Naba Kumar Doley, Chief Executive Member of Deori Autonomous Council Bhairab Deori and other dignitaries were present in the programme.