BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Tuesday signed 10 MoUs with leading national and international institutions for strengthening healthcare delivery, medical education and health infrastructure across Odisha.
The MoUs were signed in the presence of Health and Family Welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling at Lok Seva Bhawan here. The institutions include Gujarat’s I-Hub, Antara Foundation, the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Adani Group’s Seva Daan Aarogya Foundation, Health System Transformation Platform, AIIMS-New Delhi’s Centre for Emergency and Trauma Care, Amrita Hospital (Kochi), National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Tata Steel Foundation and Kaivalya Education Foundation under Project Swasth.
Mahaling said the agreements span several critical areas of healthcare. Under the MoU with AIIMS-Delhi’s Centre for Emergency and Trauma Care, a Trauma Care Centre of Excellence will be established in a government-run medical college and steps will be taken to upgrade trauma care services in the state.
The tie-up with the All India Institute of Ayurveda will promote medicines rooted in Indian knowledge systems and Ayurvedic treatment practices across the state while Gujarat’s I-Hub will support startups, innovation and improved teaching methods in medical education.
Mahaling said in partnership with NABL, laboratories in district headquarters hospitals and sub-divisional hospitals will be upgraded through accreditation to improve diagnostic quality.
The Seva Daan Aarogya Foundation will establish patient attendants’ rest houses at six government medical colleges and hospitals for providing safe and convenient accommodation for relatives accompanying patients.
As per the agreement with Amrita Hospital, Kochi, children suffering from congenital heart disease (CHD) will be provided completely free surgery, interventional cardiac treatment, post-operative care and follow-up services. Free heart disease screening camps for children will also be organised in remote areas of the state, he added.
The Health department also signed an MoU with the International Finance Corporation to develop a climate-smart drug warehouse network in the state. Besides, MoUs with Tata Steel Foundation and Kaivalya Education Foundation for Project Swasth aim to strengthen healthcare services, research and institutional infrastructure.