NALCO agrees to set up medical college hospital

Bhubaneswar: The `Navratna` PSU NALCO on Thursday agreed to set up a medical college hospital in tribal-dominated Koraput district, state Health and Family Welfare Minister Prasanna Acharya said.

"The NALCO has accepted our proposal of setting up a medical college hospital in Koraput," Acharya told reporters after NALCO`s Executive Director (HR and Administration) B N Swain met him.

The aluminium major was expected to submit the letter of consent with the state in a week`s time, Acharya said adding that the proposed medical college would have 100 seats under MBBS course and a 300-beded hospital.

The hospital will be located within the campus of the district headquarters hospital at Koraput, sources said. The medical college hospital project would be developed as part of the corporate social responsibility of Nalco, they said.

Two other CPSUs – NTPC and MCL – have come up with proposal of setting up separate medical colleges and hospital in Sundergarh and Angul districts respectively. However, Acharya said, the state rejected a condition put by the NTPC for setting up the medical project. The CPSU put a condition saying that they would set up a medical college hospital after their proposed power project got full clearance.

"We have asked NTPC to immediately start working on medical project without further delay," Acharya said.  Similarly, MCL was also told to identify land for their medical college hospital project besides setting up a centre to train para-medical staff and other technical persons.

This apart, Acharya said, the Delhi-based Centre for Joint Disorder had also proposed to set up a 150-MBBS seat medical college, a 750-bedded super speciality hospital, a dental college and a nursing college.

"We are hopeful that Centre for Joint Disorder will start its work within two months," the minister said.

Besides, as many as eight different private organisations have also expressed their interest to set up medical colleges and hospitals in the state. "Since there is enough medical facilities in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, the government encourages such units in rural areas," a senior health department official said.