Harsh Vardhan: '75 hospitals in aspirational districts to be converted into med colleges'

Union Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday said Centre was planning to convert 75 hospitals in aspirational districts across country into medical colleges in a phase-wise manner.

Vardhan, who was here to unveil a statue of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 95th birth anniversary at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, said a target has been set to convert 49 hospitals, including six in Odisha, into medical colleges within four to five years. Union minister said Centre was also seriously considering Odisha government's proposals for setting up two more medical colleges in state.

Official sources said Centre has included 10 districts of Odisha Balangir, Dhenkanal Gajapati, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangapur, Nuapa, and Rayaga in list of aspirational districts. proposed medical colleges may come up in any six districts of state.

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70 lakh people have availed free cost health services 

Vardhan also reiterated his appeal to Odisha government to implement Ayushman Bharat scheme in state.

"We have been appealing to state government to implement Ayushman Bharat scheme in Odisha so that poor people will get free of cost health service," he said.

Apart from Odisha, states like West Bengal and Telengana have so far t implemented Ayushman Bharat scheme. Union health and family welfare minister said 55 crore people across country are entitled to get free of cost health treatment under scheme.

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Seventy lakh people have availed free of cost health services in 20,000 hospitals within one year, Vardhan claimed. Stating that Centre has planned to set up 1.5 lakh health and wellness centers across country under Ayushman Bharat scheme, Vardhan said 25,000 such units have alrey been established. Vardhan unveiled a huge statue of Vajpayee at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar campus.

Union Minister Dharmendra Prhan, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, Kendrapara MP Anubhav Mohanty, Jatni MLA Suresh Routray and ors were present on occasion. AIIMS-Bhubaneswar Director B Gitanjali said a Gamma Knife Centre with first-generation 1.5 Tesla intra-operative MRI surgical suite will be set up at institute next year.

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