Bhubaneswar November 26 :Odisha government has proposed the Centre to set up an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in tribal-dominated Sundargarh district.After a review of upcoming healthcare facilities in the State, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy has requested Union Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Rajesh Bhushan to consider Odisha’s demand for the second AIIMS at Sankara in the district where the NTPC has already developed infrastructure.
At present, the State has a fully functional AIIMS at Bhubaneswar which has emerged as one of the leading institutes in the country in terms of medical education and quality healthcare.
Another satellite centre of the institute is under construction at Balasore.
“Since a second AIIMS has been established in Bihar and a similar proposal is under consideration for another state, it is proposed that a second AIIMS may be considered at Sundargarh to meet the healthcare requirements of western Odisha districts,” Tripathy said in his letter to Union Health Secretary.
Offering that the infrastructure available at Sundargarh can be used for the AIIMS facility and the Centre may not immediately require to invest on buildings, State officials claimed the health institution of national repute will cater to lakhs of tribal population in the region by extending quality tertiary care.
As part of a CSR initiative, the NTPC has developed infrastructure for a medical college and hospital besides the residential facilities for both teaching and non-teaching staff at a cost of around `418 crore to promote medical education in the tribal-dominated area.
The Chief Secretary said construction of the project has been completed and equipment procurement process is going on. The hospital is designed for 500 beds and the college will be adequate enough to have 100 students in MBBS. The available infrastructure can be utilised for setting up of AIIMS within a short period of time, he maintained.
The location will be suitable for the second AIIMS as it is easily accessible through road, railway and air (Jharsuguda airport), Tripathy added.
Meanwhile, the government has already initiated process for admission in the two new medical colleges – Mahanadi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research at Talcher and Jagannath Medical College and Hospital at Puri from the next academic session.