We will consider the State’s request for setting up of a second Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College and Hospital in the State,” said Union Minister for labour and Employment Oscar Fernandes while laying the foundation stone for an ESIC Medical College and Hospital at Khandagiri here on Sunday.
Responding to Rajya Sabha member Ramachandra Khuntia’s demand for a second ESI Medical College and Hospital in the State, preferably in western Odisha, the Union Minister said he would consider such a demand favourably if the number of insured persons (IPs) in the State warrants the setting up of a second hospital.
Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Srikant Jena, Odisha’s labour and Employment Minister Bijayshree Routray and Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Patsani were also present on the occasion. According to official sources, the new hospital would come up on 25 acres of land at a projected cost of Rs 701 crore. The hospital would have 500 beds while the medical college would have 100 MBBS seats in the first phase as per the guidelines of the Medical Council of India (MCI).