Union Ministers J P Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan on August 26 laid the foundation for establishment of a satellite campus of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar at Samalpur near Balasore town.
 

"A 300 bedded multispecialty hospital will be established over 24.91 acres of land, as a satellite centre for AIIMS multi-speciality," Nadda, the Union Health Minister said at a meeting after laying the foundation stone. He said the construction of OPD Building and two blocks of Staff Quarters (Phase-I) is expected to be completed within 15 months with the project cost of Rs 35.76 crore.

The satellite centre for AIIMS Bhubaneswar is intended to widen and improve patient care services by creating state-of-the-art infrastructure, bringing specialised healthcare services within reach of people in the region, reducing the average distances served by an institution, catering to the region specific diseases and reducing disease burden in region and adjoining areas, the Union Health Minister said.

Stating that the satellite campus would also reduce the burden on AIIMS, Bhubaneswar considerably, Nadda said. The AIIMS, Bhubaneswar has now been conducting a weekly OPD services at Balasore for more than one year in collaboration with Integrated Test Range (ITR), DRDO. "I thank the ITR management to render all infrastructure support for continuing this OPD services for the people of this regions. Now the dreams of the people realised with the laying of the foundation stone of this centre," he said.

This satellite centre for which the foundation stone was laid would be functional within a short period of time as the construction work has already been awarded to CPWD. More than 20 per cent of the total patients of the AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, are from North Odisha and neighbouring districts of Balasore. These patients had to travel about 200 km to get medical treatment at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar. Therefore, a quality affordable reliable health care centre is need of the hour for the people of this region, he said.

"I am sure that the AIIMS Satellite Centre at Balasore will be able to bridge that gap. This will help the patients of this region to save expenditures incurred towards travel cost of 400 Kilometres (to and fro) for coming to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar besides saving valuable time," he said.

The patients from three districts of Balasore, Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj and adjoining areas of the West Bengal and Jharkhand will be largely benefited, Nadda said adding that once the regular OPD services of the Satellite Centre is operational, these 600-700 OPD patients per day from that region may avail the services at the Satellite Centre.

The MBBS Interns and PG students of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar will also be posted there, he said. "My Ministry will take all measures to see that the 300 bedded Hospitals be operational in a short time," the Union Health minister said. He noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently launched the 'Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Abhiyan' programme to provide assured universal healthcare to over 50 crore people from the vulnerable sections.

"Odisha should take benefit of the worlds largest healthcare scheme. No Aadhaar card is needed to get its benefit. Under the Ayushman Bharat scheme a beneficiary can get treatment facilities from empanelled hospitals across the country. Several states have come forward to implement the scheme, so Odisha should not lag behind," he added. Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in his speech criticised the Odisha government for not becoming part of the Centre's Ayushman Bharat scheme.