Guwahati: After schools, Assam will organise another Gunotsav to assess the condition of government healthcare institutions and panchayat offices this year.

Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday told the Assembly that Gunotsav for evaluating the standard of government hospitals will be held in August-September.

"We are also planning Gunotsav for the panchayat and rural development department. Evaluators will visit around 3,500 panchayat offices and gauge the facilities for the public," he said.

Based on the assessment, funds will be allotted to make necessary improvement in the next budget, Sarma said during question hour.

The state government organised Gunotsav to assess the quality of education and academic environment in elementary-level government-run schools for the first time in April last year.

Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and his ministerial colleagues, MLAs, class I and II officers, including IAS, IPS, IFS, ACS officers, acted as external evaluators, visiting schools allotted to them for the assessment.

The BJP-led Assam government launched the programme taking inspiration from Gujarat.

Many legislators from the ruling coalition and Opposition parties apprised Sarma that model hospitals in their constituencies are yet to become functional and in some constituencies the construction of the building was not complete.

Sarma said the recruitment of staff for these hospitals was being carried out and the process will be completed within six months.

The previous Congress government in 2013 decided to set up 126 model hospitals in each of the Assembly constituencies.

Sarma said the total number of vacancies in different posts in health institutes stands at 7,684.

"Vacant posts, which are vital for running hospitals like doctors and nurses, are being filled up with the engagement of such personnel from the National Health Mission in order to maintain them," he said.

"The government is already taking necessary steps to fill up all vacant posts in a phased manner. Advertisements for recruitment to some posts have been already published and the recruitment process will be completed soon," the minister said in reply to a question by Congress legislator Rupjyoti Kurmi.

He said a Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) will be established for making direct recruitment to various posts in the health department.

Replying to another question from AGP member Ramendra Narayan, Sarma said according to the directive of the Medical Council of India, the state government has asked the doctors of medical colleges and district hospitals to prescribe generic medicines.

He said a prescription audit was being conducted as a result of which doctors have started prescribing generic medicines.