75 hospitals to be converted into medical colleges, says Union Minister

The Centre is also considering Odisha government's proposals for setting up two more medical colleges in the state, said the Minister.

The Centre is planning to convert 75 hospitals in some aspirational districts across India into medical colleges in a phase-wise manner.

Dr Vardhan, Union Minister said a target has been set to convert 49 hospitals, including six in Odisha, into medical colleges within four to five years. He said that the Centre is also considering Odisha government's proposals for setting up two more medical colleges in the state.

The Centre has included 10 districts of Odisha Balangir, Dhenkanal Gajapati, Kalahandi, Koraput, Kandhamal, Malkangiri, Nuapada, Nabarangapur, and Rayagada in the list of aspirational districts. The proposed medical colleges may come up in any six districts of the state.

Dr Vardhan also reiterated his appeal to the Odisha government to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the state to provide free healthcare to the poor people in the state. He said that 55 crore people across the country are entitled to get free of cost health treatment under the scheme.

Seventy lakh people have availed free of cost health services in 20,000 hospitals within one year, Vardhan informed. Stating that the Centre has planned to set up 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres across the country under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, he said that 25,000 such units have already been established.

Present at the occasion, AIIMS-Bhubaneswar Director B Gitanjali said that a Gamma Knife Centre with first-generation 1.5 Tesla intra-operative MRI surgical suite will be set up at the institute next year.

Read More:

• MGM Medical College to double PG seats; gets funding of 175 crore
• Centre sanctions Rs 325 crore for government medical college in Kashmir’s Handwara