Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday assured the State Government of all possible assistance in the health sector. Speaking to reporters after meeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here, Dr Vardhan said the Centre has decided to set up a satellite campus of the All India Institute of Medial Sciences (AIIMS) at Baleswar with a 300-bed hospital.
To fulfil the dream of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, efforts would be made to strengthen the infrastructure of the AIIMS, Bhubaneswar and even make it a better than the AIIMS, New Delhi, he said.
The Chief Minister urged the Union Minister to take steps to open a geriatrics centre at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. He also demanded more financial assistance for infrastructure development towards the allotment of more seats for the three Government medical colleges and private medical colleges of the State.
A nine-point charter of demands was presented to the Union Minister that
included setting up of an institute like NIMHANS in the State and an allocation of Rs 500 crore for upgrading facilities at the three Government-run medical colleges.