Guwahati/Ranchi, Sep 23 (IANS) Assam is targeting a major expansion of medical education, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announcing that the state plans to increase the number of MBBS seats to 4,000 by 2031. 

Chief Minister Sarma made the announcement while addressing the inauguration of the 750-bed Baba Baidyanath Medical Trust Hospital in Jharkhand's Deoghar on Wednesday. 

Highlighting the expansion of medical education in Assam, the Chief Minister said the state now has 16 medical colleges and produces around 2,200 doctors annually. 

He added that the state government has a vision of establishing 32 more medical colleges in Assam, in addition to the AIIMS and ESIC Medical College already functioning in the state. 

"Of these, 16 have already been established," CM Sarma said, while outlining the state government's long-term plan to expand medical education and increase the availability of trained doctors. 

He said that Assam's medical education infrastructure had remained limited for decades. 

The state's first medical college was established in the 1950s, followed by the second in the 1960s and the third in the 1970s. 

"Despite Assam's population of around 3.5 crore, the state had only three medical colleges and produced around 300 doctors annually, resulting in a shortage of doctors in relation to healthcare requirements," CM Sarma added. 

The Chief Minister said the expansion in recent years has significantly increased the number of doctors being trained in the state. 

Assam now produces around 2,200 doctors every year, compared with around 350 earlier. 

He said that increasing the number of MBBS seats would be accompanied by measures to provide employment opportunities to the growing pool of doctors. 

Chief Minister Sarma pointed to the latest State Budget, which has announced the deployment of two doctors at each of Assam's 5,000 sub-health centres. 

He said the expansion of medical colleges and MBBS seats would help create a stronger medical education ecosystem while improving the availability of healthcare professionals across the state.