The State Government on Monday signed a MoU with the Central PSU Mahanandi Coalfields limited (MCl) to set up a medical college and hospital (MCH) at the coal town of Talcher in Angul district. Health and Family Welfare Principal Secretary Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra and MCl CMD AN Sahaya signed the agreement in presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat.
With the new pact, the number MCHs both in Government and private sectors reached to 15 of which eight are operational and seven are in various stages of construction. According to Sahaya, MCl will establish a 100 seated medical college and 500 bedded hospital at Talcher at an estimated investment of Rs 500 crore.
The MCl will take all measures for completion of the health project by 2016 so as to enable admission of MBBS students during academic session 2016-17, he said, adding the admission of students will be made as per provisions of the Professional and Educational Act-2007.
Health Secretary Mohapatra said that the State Government would provide 20 acres of land free of cost to the MCl for setting up of the proposed MCH. The Anugul district administration has already identified suitable land for the project, he informed.
In yet another milestone in the State’s health sector, the State Government approved a proposal from Cuttack based Sai Mavir Trust to set up a MCH at Panikoili in Jajpur district. The trust would invest Rs 283 crore to establish the project which would have 100 MBBS seats and a 500- bed hospital.
According to official sources, the proposed private MCH will earmark 25 per cent of the beds for the treatment of BPl families. The State Govt would provide 20 acres of land at Panikoili free of cost to the trust, which is headed by retired IAS officer Padmanav Samal.