Bhubaneswar: The State Government has awarded a tender of Rs 161.15 crore for construction of the teaching hospital for the new Medical College at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district.
The State Cabinet has recently approved the lowest percentage rate composite tender of Iron Triangle Ltd. amounting to Rs.161,15,61,766.00 for construction of the medical college.
The medical college will have a 650 bedded teaching hospital Including attendance rest shed, Aahar center, mortuary, internal road, compound wall, box cell bridge, drain, landscaping etc., sources said.
The work has been targeted for completion within a period of 30 months. The medical college is being set up under Central Sponsored Scheme, ‘Establishment of new Medical Colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals’ with fund sharing between Centre and State Government as 60:40.
The approval project cost of the medical college is Rs 325 crore, of which State’s share is Rs 130 crore and Centre’s share is Rs 195 crore. The Government of India has, so far, released Rs 100 crore for the medical college.
In March 2018, the State Government had signed an MoU with Vedanta Ltd for the construction of a 500 bedded teaching hospital for the medical college at Bhawanipatna, Kalahandi.
However, the Government, in March 2021, terminated the MoU with the company due to an inordinate delay in execution of the project. Later, the State Government has decided to construct the MCH under the Central Scheme and the Works Department has been asked to take over the construction work, the sources said.
Once commissioned, the tertiary care health institution will fulfill long-time aspirations of the people of the region. The people of the district and nearby regions will no longer have to travel to cities for advanced and specialised treatment, thereby saving on out-of-pocket expenditure on health.
Under its scheme, the Centre has approved establishment of new medical colleges at Balasore, Baripada (Mayurbhanj), Bolangir, Koraput, Puri, Jajpur and Bhawanipatna (Kalahandi) districts. Of which the MCH at Balasore, Baripada, Bolangir, Puri and Koraput has started functioning.
The total approved cost for the MCHs is Rs 1520 crore, of which State’s share is Rs 608 crore and Centre’s share is Rs 912 crore. Out of the Central scare of Rs 912 crore, the Health Ministry has, so far, released Rs 817 crore.
