Despite incessant rains, thousands of people joined the human chain in support of establishing an AIIMS at Sundargarh on Tuesday, the call for which was given by Sundargarh BJP MLA Kusum Tete.
The human chain formed about 1.5 km on Tuesday at Sundargarh urged to set up a second AIIMS campus of the State at Sundargarh and also demanded that the Chief Minister write to the Prime Minister for the purpose.
According to sources, a nine-member team of AIIMS under the leadership of AIIMS Bhubaneswar Director Gitanjali Batmanabane on April 3, had visited Sundargarh and had inspected the NTPC medical college building and other facilities as the State Government had given a proposal to the Centre to run the AIIMs second campus by using the existing infrastructure.
The team members had also held a meeting with senior administrative officials of the district, including the Sundargarh Collector and Chief District Medical Officer, etc.
The district administration headed by Sundargarh Collector Nikhil Pawan Kalayn had given a presentation on available infrastructure along with available logistic facility, before the AIIMS team at the time.
The visit of the AIIMS team had kindled hope among various quarters and particularly, among people in western Odisha.
However, so far while there has been no response from the Central Government about the AIIMS second campus at Sundargarh, the State Government has started taking initiative to establish a MCH at the same campus.
In an office order of Health Department of the State Government, the District Medical Officer, Sundargarh was appointed Additional Superintendent Cum Nodal Officer of the Government Medical College and Hospital at Sundargarh.
Besides, the Health Department has reportedly taken initiative to complete the formalities so that admission in MBBS course can be started latest by 2022-23.
Notably, the State Government had signed an MoU with the NTPC on December 13, 2013 where in NTPC had agreed to develop infrastructure for establishing a 500 bedded hospital with medical college and the State Government had agreed to run the institution.
Accordingly, the construction work of the hospital cum medical college was started in 2014 and got completed.
After completion of the hospital infrastructure, the State Government had requested the Center to establish the hospital as AIIMS second center of the State.
State Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das then had written to the Center in which he had requested to establish the second AIIMS at Sundargarh by using the same infrastructure.
After the new development to start a MCH at the same campus by the State Government, a number of associations including Vimsar Resident Doctors Association, Burla, submitted a memorandum addressing to the Prime Minister during the month of August, for taking step for expediting AIIMS second campus work at Sundargarh.
In the Assembly session which concluded recently, Sundargarh MLA Tete had questioned about AIIMS Sundargarh and had sought cooperation of the Chief Minister.
She had demanded Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to write to the Prime Minister in this regard.
Later, State Health Minister Naba Kishore Das had informed media that if the Centre will not give any reply regarding AIIMs by September 26, the State Government will start the process of it’s own medical college.