In a significant boost to medical infrastructure in Upper Assam, State Health Minister Ashok Singhal inaugurated a state-of-the-art 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) centre at the Tinsukia Medical College and Hospital (TMCH) on Monday.
A Leap Forward in Diagnostic Capabilities
The newly inaugurated facility is equipped with cutting-edge imaging technology that matches the standards of the country's premier medical institutions. This advancement promises to dramatically improve the precision of medical diagnoses for the local population. Minister Singhal emphasised that the centre would make quality healthcare more accessible and affordable, directly benefiting residents of Tinsukia and surrounding districts.
"This new 1.5 Tesla MRI centre will vastly improve the accuracy and speed of medical diagnosis," Singhal stated during the inauguration. He highlighted a key benefit: the facility will eliminate the need for many patients to undertake arduous and expensive journeys to other cities like Guwahati or Dibrugarh for advanced diagnostic scans. This local access is expected to ensure timely healthcare interventions.
Operational Model and Broader Vision
The MRI centre will be operated and regulated by the Assam Medical Services Corporation Limited (AMSCL). This government-led management model is designed to keep service charges strictly in line with official guidelines, making the advanced scans affordable for thousands of economically disadvantaged patients.
Officials present at the event pointed out that with this new diagnostic capability, TMCH will be better equipped to manage a higher volume of complex medical cases internally, reducing the dependence on external referrals to larger hospitals.
Foundations of a Promising Healthcare Hub
Inaugurated just in March 2024, Tinsukia Medical College and Hospital has been rapidly evolving into one of the most promising healthcare institutions in the Upper Assam region. The addition of the latest MRI technology is viewed as a major milestone in its ongoing expansion and development trajectory.
Linking the project to the government's broader policy vision, Minister Singhal said, "This centre reflects our government’s vision of ‘Healthy Society, Healthy Assam’." He added that by integrating world-class medical imaging services into the public healthcare system, the administration is successfully bridging the gap between technological advancement and public accessibility.
The establishment of the MRI centre marks a concrete step towards decentralising specialised healthcare in Assam, ensuring that residents in the state's eastern reaches no longer need to travel long distances for critical diagnostic services.
