Assam health and finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the work on three more medical colleges in Assam will begin from next month.

“The allotment of work for the three medical colleges at Kokrajhar, Nalbari and Tinsukia will be done within two to three days and their foundation laying ceremony will be done in the first half of next month,” Sarma said.

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal will lay the foundation stone of Kokrajhar Medical College on January 6, Nalbari Medical College on January 7 and Tinsukia Medical College on January 9.

Sarma said the Kokrajhar Medical College will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 382.7 crore with funds from the state budget, the Nalbari Medical College will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 398.31 crore with funds jointly from non-lapsable central pool of resources and the state budget and the Tinsukia Medical College will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 404.63 crore with funds from Assam Infrastructure Financing Authority.

Each of the three hospitals will have 500 beds.

“The completion period of the three medical colleges is three years,” Sarma said.

At present six medical colleges are functioning in the state — The Gauhati Medical College, Assam Medical College in Dibrugarh, Silchar Medical College, Jorhat Medical College, Tezpur Medical College and Barpeta Medical College.

Altogether four medical colleges are under construction. Sarma said, “Around 38 per cent of the construction of Dhubri Medical College, 54 per cent of Lakhimpur Medical College, 50.94 per cent of Nagaon Medical College and 74 per cent of Assam Hills Medical College and Research Institute at Diphu are done. The government is hoping that the four medical colleges with a capacity of 500 beds will start functioning from 2020-21.

Sarma said once all the 13 medical colleges are completed, the intake capacity in MBBS course would increase to 1,426 from the current 726.

Sarma said the establishment of the three new medical colleges will not only boost the medical education sector by producing more doctors in the state but also help provide healthcare services in areas adjoining the districts of Nalbari, Tinsukia and Kokrajhar.

He said so far 23,000 people have availed of the benefits of the Atal Amrit Abhiyan Scheme and Ayushman Bharat Yojana.