BHUBANESWAR: In tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion that India will produce a record number of doctors in next 10 years, Odisha is expected to produce around 2,500 doctors a year by 2030 with the State adding five more government medical colleges by 2025.The colleges are coming up at Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Bhawanipatna, Jajpur and Phulbani. While the construction of administrative buildings for the medical institutions has been completed at Keonjhar and Sundargarh, others are at various stages of construction.
A team from the National Medical Commission (NMC) has already inspected the newly built infrastructure at Keonjhar and Sundargarh along with the existing hospitals for approval. Additional Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) Dr Umakanta Satpathy said the new medical colleges will be made operational in phases.
The colleges at Keonjhar and Sundargarh will be opened in the first phase next year, Bhawanipatna and Jajpur in the second and Phulbani the last.“The NMC inspection has been completed recently and the team is satisfied with the infrastructure. We are expecting approval for admission from the next session. The construction of other three will be completed by mid-2023,” he said.
Apart from the five government medical colleges, one more 500-bed medical college and hospital with a capacity to admit 100 students has already been developed by Mahanadi Coal Fields Limited (MCL) at Talcher as part of its CSR commitment. The Mahanadi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (MIMSAR) was to be operationalised in 2020-21, but the process was delayed as no agency came forward to manage the MCH. The State government has requested the Coal Ministry to ensure the facility is operationalised soon.
The State has an increment of around 550 seats in last four years as the number of government medical colleges went up to eight from three. With Sri Jagannath Medical College at Puri starting admissions from the current academic session, the total number of seats in the government institutions rose to 1,250. This apart, 400 doctors are graduating from private medical colleges in the State every year.“Once all the proposed medical colleges get the NMC approval, the State will produce 2,500 doctors a year from 2030 onwards,” Dr Satpathy added.