Odisha govt. to float tender for five medical colleges by June

Following is a report from BS:

With the Centre’s approval for upgradation of the Puri district headquarter hospital to a medical college besides four other such facilities at Balasore, Koraput, Balangir and Baripada, the Odisha government today said it is all set to float tenders for construction work in June this year.

“While the Union Ministry of Health had earlier sanctioned setting up of four medical colleges at Balasore, Baripada, Balangir and Koraput by upgrading the existing district headquarter hospitals there, approval has now come for Puri hospital,” said health and family welfare secretary P K Mohapatra.

All five proposed medical colleges would have student intake capacity of 100 each and around Rs 200 crore would be spent for upgradation of the hospitals to a full-fledged medical college and hospital in each case, Mohapatra said.

The project cost will come from Centrally-sponsored Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Surakhsa Yojana scheme, he said adding the Centre will provide 75 per cent while the state will shoulder the rest 25 per cent cost.

Under the scheme, DHHs having more than 200 beds were considered for such upgradation, he said. Mohapatra said the state government was planning to float tenders for the five medical colleges by June 15 and start construction from October onwards.

Meanwhile, sources said the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) has given its nod to set up two medical colleges in Gajapati and Rayagada districts on PPP mode.

Each medical college will have 100 seats and 500 beds. The projects would be executed at a cost of Rs 326 crore each, they said.

Odisha presently has three government run medical colleges at Cuttack, Berhampur and Burla.