Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today chaired a comprehensive review meeting of the Health and Family Welfare Department’s various programs at Lok Seva Bhawan.
The meeting focused extensively on the redevelopment of Sriramchandra Bhanj (SCB) Medical College in Cuttack, the state’s largest medical institution that attracts thousands of patients and their attendants daily. The government aims to transform it into a world-class facility, with special emphasis on addressing parking challenges.
Key decisions include the development of a 17-storey (G+16) multi-level parking facility on 6.51 acres of land at SCB Medical College. This structure will provide parking up to the 12th floor, benefiting visitors to both SCB Medical College and the adjacent Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer. The upper floors will house administrative blocks, the anatomy department, B.Pharma and D.Pharma colleges, among other facilities.
To promote student well-being in line with the National Education Policy 2020, indoor games and swimming pool facilities will also be provided for medical students. The Chief Minister directed the department to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) at the earliest.
Progress on ongoing projects was also discussed, including 13 housing towers near SCB providing 672 residential units and hostel accommodation for 2,244 students. The CM instructed officials to expedite construction. Redevelopment works at Berhampur and Burla medical colleges were reviewed as well.
For the Panikoili Trauma Care Centre, the Chief Minister advised operationalising it soon under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, prioritising Central Government Public Sector Undertakings with hospital management experience, while allowing private sector involvement where necessary.
Additionally, plans for constructing rest houses for patient attendants were discussed across seven government medical college campuses in Cuttack, Berhampur, Burla, Sundargarh, Koraput, Baripada, and Bolangir.
The meeting was attended by Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Mukesh Mahaling, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Principal Secretary to CM Saswata Mishra, Health Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Aswathy S., National Health Mission Director Dr Brunda D., and other senior officials.
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