CUTTACK: A new hospital building with 100-bed capacity will come up at Swami Vivekananda National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research (SVNIRTAR). Foundation stone for the building was laid by Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Thawar Chand Gehlot on Tuesday.
The new 100-bed annex building will be constructed at cost of `16 crore provided by Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (RECL) from its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund. The additional facility to the existing 100-bed hospital will solve the overcrowding problem faced by SVNIRTAR round the year. Though the inflow of patients has increased tremendously in the last four decades, authorities of SVNIRTAR have been facing an uphill task in managing the rush.
Speaking on the occasion, Gehlot said SVNIRTAR would be the centre of excellence for deformity correction and rehabilitation surgery after enhancement of bed capacity.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has so far provided necessary treatment and rehabilitation service to more than 8 lakh people with disability by organising around 6000 camps in the country during the last three and half years, Gehlot added.
The Ministry has also enhanced the existing 3 per cent reservation criteria for persons with disability in the field of service and higher study. While in the field of higher study the percentage of reservation for persons with disability has been increased to 5 per cent, the same in the field of getting service/job has been enhanced to 4 per cent for the betterment of the disabled, he added.
The Union Minister also distributed different aids, appliances and self employment kits to differently-abled persons on the occasion.
Director, SVNIRTAR, Dr Shakti Prasad Das drew the Minister’s attention for a 1000-seat auditorium and construction of a new administrative building as those are functioning from a asbestos-roofed house.