The Centre has selected SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack for establishment of a Regional Geriatric Centre (RGC) which would entail investment of around Rs6 crore.
The Centre will be the apex referral centre for geriatric healthcare in the State as well as offer post-graduation and diploma courses in geriatry. Besides, it will also focus on research in the field of geriatry.
The decision to establish the advanced centre was announced by the Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary Arun Panda during a review of National Programme for Healthcare for Elderly (NPHE) implementation across States of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha, said a Press release issued by the State Health and Family Welfare Department.
The existing geriatric unit will also be upgraded to RGC. It will have two 15-bed wards for males and females, a physiotherapy unit, a two-bed daycare centre, OPD, specialised laboratory, research centre and an appliances unit, sources said.
The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry also appreciated the progress made by the State in implementing the NPHE in five districts, like Koraput, Malkangiri, Balangir, Nabarangpur and Nuapada and announced that the same will be implemented in all districts in 2015-16.