Bhubaneswar: Feeling the deficit of doctors and hospitals with super specialty facilities in the country, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday declared to upgrade two medical colleges- MKCG at Berhampur & VSS at Sambalpur- to super-specialty centres in the State.
“39 hospitals in the country will be upgraded to super specialty centres among which two medical colleges of Odisha- Berhampur and Sambalpur- will get the facilities soon,” Azad said while inaugurating All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar.
Azad praised the UPA-I & II government for its initiatives in setting up 51,000 government hospitals across the country. He appreciated state government’s cooperation in coming up such premier institute like AIIMS in Odisha.
On the demand of Odisha for one more medical college, he assured to recomend for upgradation of Baripada hospital to a medical college. He said three colleges have already been sanctioned to Odisha which will be set up in Balasore, Jeypore and Bolangir respectively.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik termed the inauguration as a historic day for the State. He said the AIIMS will be an asset for the citizens of Odisha and eastern India. Demanding one more medical college for Odisha, he said that the State had requested four such institutes while centre sanctioned only three.
“We had requested Centre for four medical colleges, but it gave only three. So, I requested Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad to sanction one more college” Naveen said. On the issue of lack of medical staff, he said shortage of doctors is a global problem and the State government is trying its best to provide better health care.
Union Chemical & Fertilizer minister and Balasore MP Srikant Jena, who spoke on this occasion, lauded PM Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Azad for theirsupport to Odisha in sanctioning more funds for more hospitals for the people of the state.
On this occasion, Jena declared to open ‘Jan Ausodhi’ store in AIIMS-Bhubaneswar centre. “If AIIMS authorities would provide us place, we will open the generic medicine store, ‘Jan Ausodhi’, in the campus soon,” Jena promised.
Launching an indirect attack on BJD government, Jena said some in the state are taking credit fo the centre-sponsored programmes.