Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad, while dedicating the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Bhubaneswar to the public at Sijua here on Wednesday, announced that the district headquarters hospital at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district would also be upgraded to a medical college and hospital with Central assistance.
“Odisha is very lucky that it will get four medical colleges out of the total 50 such sanctioned for the whole country,” said Azad, adding, “We have sanctioned three medical colleges earlier, but taking the State’s backwardness into account, we accepted the request of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for setting up of the fourth medical college in Baripada.” Notably, the State Government had earlier requested the Centre to set up four medical colleges in the State, including one in Mayurbhanj district under the centrally-sponsored Prime Minister Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), but the Centre had proposed to convert the district headquarters hospitals of Koraput, Baleswar and Balangir into medical colleges.
The Central apathy had instigated the political and social organisations to observe bandh in Mayurbhanj district on Monday. Sensing the public mood, the Chief Minister on the same day had assured to set up a medical college in the district from its own fund.
While addressing the gathering at the dedication ceremony of the AIIMS, Patnaik requested Azad to sanction Central fund for setting up of the medical college in Baripada which was accepted by the latter.