The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $398.8 million loan to support Assam, India, in transforming its healthcare and medical education systems. The funding will be used under the Assam State Tertiary Health Care Augmentation Project to modernize Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) into a state-of-the-art super-specialty facility and upgrade Assam Medical College and Hospital and Silchar Medical College and Hospital, creating a network of centers of excellence under Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences.
ADB Country Director for India, Mio Oka, highlighted that Assam faces critical gaps in healthcare, including high maternal and infant mortality and shortages in tertiary care. The project aims to modernize tertiary health facilities, expand access to resilient health systems, and position Assam as an affordable medical destination for the region and neighboring countries.
The project includes modernizing GMCH with climate- and disaster-resilient, gender-responsive infrastructure, as well as digital hospital systems. Medical education will be strengthened through smart classrooms, simulation-based training, and curriculum reforms integrating gender and climate considerations.
Institutional capacity will be enhanced by establishing centers of excellence, promoting research, forming gender equality groups, encouraging private sector participation in hospital services, and developing a medical tourism strategy. The project also emphasizes gender-responsive and socially inclusive healthcare, including the creation of a one-stop crisis center at GMCH for survivors of gender-based violence, expected to benefit at least 500 women and girls.
ADB, a leading multilateral development bank, supports inclusive, resilient, and sustainable growth across Asia and the Pacific. Through innovative financial tools and strategic partnerships, ADB works with members to solve complex challenges, build quality infrastructure, and transform lives. Founded in 1966, ADB is owned by 69 members, including 50 from the region.
