The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) of the Government of India gave its nod to set up a medical college in Rayagada district on a PPP mode, a move that would have given a major boost to healthcare in Odisha.
According to the proposal, the medical college was supposed to have have 100 seats each along with 500-bedded hospital. The Empowered Committee of the DEA sanctioned the Viability Gap Funding.
Accordingly, during year 2014, the then Health Minister of Government of Odisha announced in the State Assembly a medical college for Rayagada through PPP mode keeping in view the health needs of Rayagada and the adjacent districts. He also announced that 20-25 acres of land was identified for the purpose. A tender of Rs 327.40 crore was floated. As the process did not materialise, members of Rayagada Nagarika Mancha (RNM) have been demanding a medical college thorough representation to CM, Health Minister, Law Minister, Health Secretary, Revenue Secretary and Collector, etc.
The members of RNM even threatened a peaceful strike when the administration assured to look into the demands of RNM.
“After a lapse of five years, CM Naveen Patnaik did not fulfi the declaration made during 2014 for Rayagada. Instead, he announced a medical college at Kandhamal. A mere increase of hospital beds and a rest shed at District Headquarters Hospitals (DHH) at Rayagada for attendants of the patients was announced. This is just a lollypop for inhabitants of Rayagada,” said senior member of Rayagada Bar Association Kedar Panda.
Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved setting up of 75 Government medical colleges attached to existing district or referral hospitals under phase III of a Centrally-sponsored scheme. According to a Government statement, the new medical colleges would be set up in under-served areas having no medical colleges and attached to district hospitals having at least 200 beds. Preference will be given to aspirational districts. As Rayagada comes under aspirational districts in Odisha identified by Niti Aayog, new hopes have cropped up and we are hopeful, said former Principal, Rayagada College and presently member of National Lok Adalat Dr Selvaraju.
According to information received from Tehsildar, Rayagada, land has been identified for the medical college near Pitamahal. Collector Pramod Kumar Behera said that he had already written to Government about the local demand for a medical college.
"The Government is supposed to retrieve 507 acres of land from the defunct Jeypore Sugar Company(JSCo). As the matter is in Orissa High Court, the State must properly represent through its Advocate General to appear and plead; but there seems to have a nexus. As for the college hardly 20 acres of land is required, the district administration should acquire this amount of land from JSCo within Rayagada periphery rather than going to Pitamahal,” said advisor of JSCo ex-employees’ union Venkat Rao Senapati.
“Rayagada is a befitting place strategically for establishment of a medical college. It is now declared as a Railway Division and connected to all the metro cities of India by trains. It is surrounded by prominent corporate houses like Aditya Birla group of companies, JK Papers, IMFA, Vedanta, L&T, their ancillaries, etc. It has five nursing colleges, four engineering colleges, a pharmacy college, an agriculture college, five diploma engg schools apart from Rayagada Autonomous College having a potential of being a university and several degree colleges. It has enough plain land to cater to the need of the medical college,” told Convenor of City Development Committee, Rayagada Sunil Kar.
Recently, Koraput MP Saptagiri Ulaka met Union Minister, Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan requested him in written to approve a new medical college at Rayagada to be attached with DHH under Phase-III of ongoing Centrally sponsored scheme. He had also tweeted CM Patnaik to expeditiously send DPR to Government of India.