BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to improve healthcare facilities in 18 backward districts and provide services at an affordable cost, the State Government on Monday decided to set up 19 hospitals with a capacity of 2,600 beds under public-private partnership (PPP) mode.The State Government will provide land at concessional rate with infrastructural facilities for the project which entails an investment of Rs1,150 crore. This was decided at a meeting of the empowered committee on infrastructure held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Padhi.
“It has been decided to set up 19 hospitals in 18 districts basing on the parameters of backwardness in health indicators. Private partners will bring in investment, recruit specialists and clinical personnel. However, State Government will decide the tariff of treatment in these hospitals,” Health and Family Welfare Secretary PK Meherda told reporters.
The proposed hospitals will be set up in KBK (undivided Kalahandi, Balangir and Koraput districts) and KBK plus regions including Boudh, Kandhamal and Gajapati districts. While bed capacity will be added in phases, some of the hospitals will have 100 beds and some 200. The project will create direct employment for 9,500 persons, he added.
Meherda said an investors conference was organised in the city last year to get feedback from potential investors regarding feasibility of the project and methods of operation. Around 71 healthcare providing organisations of repute including Apollo, AMRI, United Health Group, Wipro, GE, Healthcare Global Enterprises, Narayana Healthcare, Asian Health Alliance and Fortis participated and expressed their interest to invest in the project.
Issues relating to norms of transaction, conditions in bid document, viable gap funding from Government, contract conditions, monitoring and management of the proposed project were discussed.The Chief Secretary asked the Health and Family Welfare department to prepare the detailed project and place it before the Government for approval. He also directed them to decide locations of the hospitals, taking into account the existing health service facilities and upcoming medical colleges. Development Commissioner R Balakrishnan advised the department to prioritise difficult areas having no secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities.
Medical aid for all
The hospitals will be set up in KBK districts and KBK-plus regions including Boudh, Kandhamal and Gajapati. Project will create direct employment for 9,500 persons Priority to areas having no secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities