Assam bifurcates health department

Guwahati, The Assam government on Thursday bifurcated the Health & Family Welfare Department into two units and they were given administrative control of various existing directorates, according to a notification. The two new departments are Health & Family Welfare and Medical Education & Research.

The exercise was carried out "in the interest of public service", the notification said.

The Health & Family Welfare Department will comprise Directorate of Health Services, Directorate of Health Services (Family Welfare), Directorate of Ayush, National Health Mission, Food Safety and Drugs Administration, Assam State AIDS Control Society and all nursing schools.

The Medical Education & Research will include Directorate of Medical Education, Government Ayurvedic and Homeopathic colleges, Assam Cancer Care Foundation, Atal Amrit Abhijan Society, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and Assam Employees Health Scheme.

Assam Health System Strengthening Project Society, Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences and any institution related to medical education and research will also come under the administrative control of the newly created Medical Education & Research Department.

"All correspondences relating to the existing Health & Family Welfare Department will now be made in the name of the aforementioned new departments as per allocation as aforesaid," the notification stated.