Sonia Gandhi inaugurates Northeast's first post-graduate medical institute

The first ever post-graduate medical institute in the Northeast region on the lines of the prestigious AIIMS was today formally inaugurated by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The premier North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute for Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), which opened in 2002, was conceived by Rajiv Gandhi nearly two decades ago and will have the best healthcare facilities.

"Today, an important aspect of Rajiv Gandhi's vision has been fully realised with the inauguration of NEIGRIHMS. It has an important role to play in research and treatment," she said.

The institute has the most sophisticated cardiology department in the region, well-equipped neurology and urology cells and a 30-bed Intensive Care Unit.

Referring to the shortage of faculty, Gandhi said government would ensure sustained support to attract and retain the best of talents.

Currently, there are 39 faculty members, besides 68 senior resident doctors and around 70 junior resident doctors.

The institute is being equipped with 35 speciality and super-speciality departments, Union health and family welfare minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

Designed on the lines of AIIMS, New Delhi, and PGIMER, Chandigarh, the institute is the only postgraduate medical institute in the North Eastern region and the third in the country established by ministry of health and family welfare.

Envisaged in 1987 during the prime ministership of Rajiv Gandhi, the institute is spread over 275 acres in Mawdiangdiang on the outskirts of the city. Over Rs550 crore has been spent so far in setting it up.