‘Medical tourism’ to give Deoghar a new identity: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on September 23 inaugurated the 750-bed Baba Baidyanath Medical Trust Hospital in Deoghar, Jharkhand, saying the city could develop into a medical tourism hub alongside its established identity as a pilgrimage destination.

The hospital has been set up through a collaboration between the Baba Baidyanath Medical Trust and P.D. Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre. Sarma said a medical college is also planned on the premises in the future.

Speaking at the inauguration, Sarma said the facility was intended to expand access to advanced healthcare, particularly for people from economically weaker and middle-income sections.

“People from Deoghar, Godda and other parts of Jharkhand earlier had to travel to Kolkata for quality medical treatment. However, a strong healthcare ecosystem is gradually being established in the state,” Sarma said.

He said the presence of AIIMS Deoghar and the newly inaugurated hospital could create a stronger healthcare network serving people from Jharkhand as well as neighbouring Bihar.

Sarma also highlighted the infrastructure development around Deoghar and Godda, including the airport, AIIMS, railway connectivity and ring road. Referring to developments in the Godda parliamentary constituency, he credited MP Nishikant Dubey with contributing to the region's growth.

Drawing on his experience as Assam's health minister for nearly 15 years from 2006, Sarma said hospital infrastructure and design were important factors in making healthcare facilities accessible and effective. He said the ICU, emergency department and general wards at the new hospital had been planned with the needs of ordinary patients in mind.

He also said the Baba Baidyanath Medical Trust's hospitals were intended to serve a public welfare purpose rather than operate solely for profit, adding that its partnership with the Hinduja Group could help build the Deoghar facility into a major healthcare institution.

Sarma also spoke about the expansion of medical education in the country, saying the number of medical colleges had risen from 387 in 2014 to 846 during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said annual MBBS production had increased from 51,384 before 2014 to 1,39,864, while 22 AIIMS institutions had been established.

Turning to Assam, Sarma said the state now has 16 medical colleges, compared with three earlier, and produces around 2,200 doctors a year, up from about 350 previously. He said the state government's long-term plan was to establish 32 more medical colleges and raise the number of MBBS seats to 4,000.

He also referred to a provision in Assam's latest Budget to deploy two doctors at each of the state's 5,000 sub-health centres, saying the move would also create employment opportunities for doctors.

Godda MP Nishikant Dubey, Baba Baidyanath Medical Trust chairperson Dr Anamika Gautam and other dignitaries attended the inauguration.