Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. | Photo credit: ANI
Assam Government on Tuesday (March 11, 2026) decided to rename Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College and Hospital as Barpeta Medical College and Hospital.
Speaking at a press conference after the state cabinet meeting that approved the decision, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that most of the government medical colleges in the state are named after the places where they are located.
“All our medical colleges are named according to their location. We see this in Guwahati, Dhubri, Silchar, Bongaigaon, Biswanath and Sonitpur medical colleges. Somehow the Barpeta one has been named as Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College and Hospital, which is not in line with the naming pattern of other medical colleges,” he said.
Mr. Sarma said the Cabinet decided to rename the institution to avoid confusion.
“Because of its name, many people are asking whether it is a private medical college. Therefore, the cabinet today decided to change the name to Barpeta Medical College and Hospital,” he said.
Mr Sarma said the government would name another institution after former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed in recognition of his stature.
“Since Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was the President of India and the first from Assam, the Cabinet has decided that another educational or cultural institution of equal or higher status will be named after him. In this regard, we will take a decision to retain his name,” he added.
Established in 2011, the Faculty of Medicine is affiliated to Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences and has offered undergraduate courses since 2012 and postgraduate medical education since 2019.
Published – March 11, 2026 11:03 AM IST
