ROURKELA: Amid the political mudslinging over inauguration of the super speciality hospital of the RSP-run Ispat General Hospital (IGH) on March 21, BJP’s Sundargarh MLA Kusum Tete on Thursday shot off a letter to BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Tete’s letter comes in the wake of Odisha’s Steel Minister Prafulla Mallick, who in a written reply to Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s invitation to attend the inauguration, had expressed disappointment that the IGH was upgraded with a 200-bed super speciality hospital only. He had urged Pradhan to instruct RSP to set up a medical college as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to upgrade the IGH into a medical college and super speciality hospital six years back.
Referring to Mallick’s letter, Tete stated if Odisha government wants, super speciality hospital can be converted into a medical college. If the CM gives assurance, she would request the Union Minister to hand over the the new hospital to the State government.
She further pointed out that NTPC, a Central PSU, has set up a new medical college and hospital (MCH) at Sundargarh town at a cost of `350 crore to show the PM’s commitment to improve healthcare services in the district. She reminded the CM that foundation of the NTPC MCH was laid by him in January, 2014 with a plan to start medical education from 2016-17. But the MCH is yet to start operation.
Tete said the CM had announced to enhance bed strength of Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) to 400 from the existing 120 and develop it at par with the Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar. But, the promise is yet to be kept.