Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu on Saturday announced that his government will soon open a medical college in Pasighat, the headquarters of East Siang district.
Khandu made the announcement during his speech at the foundation day celebration of Rama Krishna Mission (RKM) Hospital here.
The State presently has only one medical college in the form of Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences at Naharlagun.
The chief minister also said that the State government will also be expanding the 50-bedded TRIHMS to a 100-bed one.
Besides expanding health services, it will also increase the intake of medical students in the institute, the chief minister said.
To strengthen the health services in the state, the chief minister said the State government under Mukhya Mantri Rogi Kalyan Kosh has been providing grant in aid for medicine procurement and infrastructure.
He informed that the health department has banned all central procurement of medicines and now will be procured from the district level.
This, the chef minister said will enable the respective districts to place their procurement as per their needs and enable people to have free medicines.
Earlier, Khandu said the RKM Hospital is rendering valuable service to the state by meeting the healthcare needs of the people.
He said it was on this day that hospital was formally inaugurated and declared open by Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj, the 10th President of the RK Mission. He said the hospital has grown from being a simple dispensary to a multidisciplinary hospital.
To strengthen the R K M hospital, the chief minister said the State government is willing to work with the sanatorium on public-private partnership mode to expand the hospital’s capacity to 300-bedded hospital.
He said the state government is ready to assist the hospital in terms of infrastructure and funds for manpower.
Khandu said his government also wishes to connect the hospital with Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and Chief Minister Arogya Arunachal Yojana, health benefit schemes of the centre and the state government respectively.
He said the coverage under both the scheme has reached around 1 lakh household in the state and the RKM Hospital being covered under the scheme will immensely benefit the people.
The chief minister on the day also inaugurated the obstetrics ward and the first ever blood component separation unit in the State.