Guwahati, Feb. 3: Assam health minister Nazrul Islam today said the foundation stone of Nagaon Medical College would be laid this month.

Replying to a debate on cut motion over supplementary demand for grants by the health department, the minister informed the Assembly that Rs 189 crore has been sanctioned for the medical college.

He said another medical college is under construction at Diphu in Karbi Anglong district.

"We also have plans to set up two medical colleges in Lakhimpur and Dhubri districts but we are facing some land-related problems at these two places, which, we expect, would be sorted out very soon," he said.

Islam said the construction of a 200-bed cancer hospital on the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital campus is nearing completion and would be inaugurated shortly.

"The new cancer hospital will reduce the burden on B. Borooah Cancer Institute," he said.

Islam said the state is facing a shortage of doctors because after 1968, when the Silchar Medical College was started, no new medical college was set up in the state till 2009, the year when the Jorhat Medical College was established.

Till 2009, Assam had only three medical colleges, all in the government sector.

He said at present, 470 doctors graduate from the three medical colleges of the state every year, which is grossly inadequate.

"Our requirement is more than 1,000 doctors every year. Ideally, we need to set up one medical college every 10 years to meet the shortage of doctors but in Assam not a single new medical college was set up for nearly 40 years," he said.

The health minister said the situation would improve after the first batch of students pass out from the three new medical colleges in Jorhat, Barpeta and Tezpur.

He said the first batch of around 100 students will pass out from Jorhat Medical College this year. The first batch of students would pass out from Barpeta and Tezpur medical colleges in 2017 and 2019 respectively.