A CORRESPONDENT
BOKO : Health and Family Welfare Minister Keshab Mahanta inaugurated a newly-constructed community health centre at Sonthali under Boko assembly constituency in Kamrup district on Friday evening. The Sonthali Micro Health Centre has been upgraded to a community health centre and constructed at a cost of Rs 4.40 crore. This newly-constructed Sonthali Community Health Centre has a state of the art surgery complex, delivery room with neonatal care room, male and female wards, laboratory, vaccination room, refrigeration room, X-ray room, ECG room, blood storage room, minor surgery room, sterilization room, health rooms, post-pre-operative rooms, isolation rooms, nurses’ duty areas, doctors’ rooms, offices, medical stores etc. as well as beautiful accommodation for doctors, nurses and health workers are also available.
During the opening programme, Minister Mahanta said, “Our government under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma has placed utmost emphasis on ensuring modern medical services for the people in all parts of the State by continuously improving the health sector.”
Minister Mahanta also said that the government has also taken special steps to ensure that the poor people of the state do not face any financial difficulties for treatment of serious diseases. The government has ensured state-of-the-art medical services up to Rs 5 lakh per annum for every ration card holder in the state through the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and Ayusman Assam Chief Minister’s Jan Arogya Yojana.
He hoped that the Sontali Community Health Centre would provide better medical services to the people of Sontali area including the greater Boko-Samaria area and Baghbar of Barpeta.
Minister Keshav Mahanta also declared that the new community health centre, which currently has 30 beds, will be upgraded to a 50-bed hospital within a short period of time and will be upgraded to a full-fledged hospital with all ancillary facilities.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Boko MLA Nandita Das, former MLA Jyoti Prasad Das, State Director of National Health Mission Dr. MS Laxmi Priya, doctors, health workers and a large number of locals also participated in the function.
MLA Nandita Das expressed her satisfaction. She said, “Today is a very memorable day for the people of Sontali in my constituency. After many sacrifices and my long efforts, I was able to get this day. On this day, the health service center of about 150,000 citizens living in Sontali and adjacent char areas was upgraded to Sontali Community Health Centre with 50 beds. The health center was officially inaugurated by the Minister of Health, Government of Assam Keshav Mahanta today.”
The MLA also added, “It is worth mentioning that the health center was established in Sontali in 1974 by the then President Fakruddin Ali Ahmed realizing the health aspects of the people of the Char area. Later, in various cycles, the health centre was degraded from PHC to MPHC. The mystery or reason behind this is not well known but the selfless efforts of various social conscious persons, elderly people , educators etc. in Sontali and its surroundings have upgraded Sontali PHC as Sontali CHC today. I have faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities and duties as a local MLA in this regard. I met with the local citizens including Minister Keshav Mahanta , Kamrup District Commissioner, District Joint Director, State Director of Health and expressed the pain of the people of Sontali.”
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