Puri: The State Government is all set to open two new medical colleges at Phulbani and Angul, during the coming academic year 2025-26 while four more dental colleges will also be opened in the near future, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said here today.
Addressing at the 9th National Summit on Good and Replicable Practices and Innovations in Public Healthcare System here, the Chief Minister said, “Odisha is committed to the journey towards “Sustha Odisha, Samrudha Odisha” —where every citizen has access to quality, equitable, and affordable healthcare.”
Towards improving medical education, the State had opened Maharaja Jajati Keshari Medical College in Jajpur in November 2024 while two new medical colleges at Phulbani and Angul will be opened shortly, during the coming academic year 2025-26, he said.
“We are firm in our commitment to expand and upgrade medical infrastructure. The Prime Minister laid the foundation for a 100-bed National Institute for Yoga & Naturopathy on 29th October 2024,” Shri Majhi said.
Further, he said steps have been taken to establish the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research and the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing.
Besides, 382 public health facilities have been NQAS Certified in the last 6 months, which signifies that those facilities have met the required quality benchmarks, he informed.
The CM said the State has decided to strengthen 7358 Urban & Rural PHC & Sub Centres as Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAM) to provide comprehensive primary health care services including Yoga and other wellness activities.
“We have made provision to construct a new building for 1338 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in the coming year’s budget,” he further said.
The inauguration of the Central Drug Testing Laboratory in Gothapatana by the Prime Minister will play an important role in ensuring the safety, quality, and efficacy of drugs and pharmaceuticals. It will help in preventing the distribution of substandard or counterfeit medicines, Majhi pointed out.
To strengthen our healthcare workforce, Odisha is setting up 8 new government nursing colleges. The Government has taken various steps towards strengthening our healthcare workforce.
“We have recently appointed 3,537 health personnel across Odisha. Another 5000 Doctors vacancy will be filled up shortly. We are proud to receive an investment proposal worth Rs. 4349 crore from private companies in the healthcare sector, marking a significant investment in our healthcare infrastructure during the Utkarsha Odisha, Make in Odisha Conclave 2025,” Shri Majhi further pointed out.
The State has proposed about Rs 23,000 crore for public healthcare for the next fiscal, which is an increase of about 9.13 percent over the current financial year. The provision under the program expenditure has been substantially increased by 10.87 percent of the Budget Estimate of 2024-25, he stated.
The Chief Minister said Odisha remains committed to fulfilling the healthcare needs of its people through comprehensive, assured, and high-quality healthcare services.
While speaking about the Sustainable Development Goals, he said, the State is making substantial strides in improving health outcomes and fostering the well-being of people. The NITI Aayog SDG India Index Report, 2023-24 has listed Odisha as a Front Runner, related to Good Health and Well-being.
Our relentless efforts are also evident in the NFHS-5 survey report, which shows a significant decline in Infant Mortality Rate to 36 per 1000 live births. However, this is no reason for satisfaction. Steps will be taken to bring the IMR down to the level of best performing states in the country in a few years, Majhi said.
He said there is also a substantial increase in institutional delivery standing at 92.2 percent, and exceptional performance in full immunization coverage, which stands at 90.5 percent — the best among major states in India.
The Odisha Government has taken a historic decision to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana alongside Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana.
This would enable all eligible beneficiaries to avail affordable and quality health care services at 29,000 empanelled Govt and Private Hospitals across the country compared to just 900 hospitals at present, he noted.