Assam eases MBBS admission for out-of-state students; approves Rs 4,257 crore GMCH upgrade

The Assam cabinet has approved changes to the state’s medical admission policy. According to the new policy, permanent residents who completed their schooling outside Assam will now be eligible to apply for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) courses under the state quota.

As per The Telegraph India, the decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. It amends the Medical Colleges and Dental Colleges of Assam (Regulation of Admission into 1st Year MBBS/BDS Courses) Rules, 2017 (as amended up to 2025), removing the clause that earlier required candidates to complete Classes 7 to 12 within Assam.

The revised rule will now enable students from Assam families living outside the state—such as children of government employees posted elsewhere or those attending external schools—to seek admission under the Assam quota. Residency status will now be certified by the respective district commissioner.

According to The Telegraph India, Sarma said the decision would not affect local candidates as Assam currently has around 1,800 medical seats. “This decision will not adversely affect anyone because there are around 1,800 medical seats in the state,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after the cabinet meeting.

Rs 2,200 crore allocated for GMCH redevelopment

In the same meeting, the cabinet sanctioned Rs 4,257 crore for the upgradation of Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and the strengthening of Srimanta Sankardev University of Health Sciences.

Under the plan, Rs 2,200 crore has been allocated for the redevelopment of the GMCH campus, with 80% of the funding coming from the Asian Development Bank and the remaining 20% from the state government. The existing GMCH structures will be demolished to make way for a new facility capable of accommodating about 5,000 patients simultaneously.

Sarma highlighted that the GMCH redevelopment seeks to modernise medical infrastructure, increase patient capacity, and align the hospital with national standards. Additional planned improvements include expanding super-speciality services, establishing advanced research facilities, and enhancing affiliated medical education institutions.

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Moran community to get Assam medical quota

The cabinet also resolved to extend medical admission eligibility to members of the Moran community living in Arunachal Pradesh, who will be treated on par with those residing in Assam from the 2026 session. “They will be treated as Assamese for medical admission,” Sarma said, as quoted by The Telegraph India.

The state government had earlier, in March, decided to issue permanent resident certificates to the Moran community in Arunachal Pradesh, which does not issue PRCs to them.

According to The Telegraph India reports, the community, estimated at around 30,000 people, primarily lives in Namsai and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh, while in Assam, they are concentrated in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Sivasagar districts.