SAMBALPUR: The much-awaited super-specialty building of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences And Research (VIMSAR), Burla was inaugurated by Union Education Minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday evening.
Developed at a cost of approximately Rs 125 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), the super-specialty block is equipped with 272 beds including 58 ICU ones. It features nine super-speciality departments of urology, nephrology, neurology, neurosurgery, paediatric surgery, plastic surgery, gastroenterology, endocrinology, and clinical haematology.
Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan emphasised the need for doctors trained in Odisha to serve within the state. “If our medical students choose to stay and work in Odisha, only then can the state become a leader in healthcare.”
He announced addition of 50 more seats to VIMSAR’s current intake and said the state is mulling to redevelop the medical institute through a comprehensive master plan. The government has already announced the establishment of a unified dental college on VIMSAR campus in the current budget.
Hinting at introduction of multidisciplinary programmes through collaboration between VIMSAR and VSSUT to develop medical and technical education, the union minister said plans are underway to introduce cutting-edge facilities such as MedTech, Biotech and AI-enabled treatment as part of a larger commitment to quality education, good governance, and healthcare innovation.
Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling said VIMSAR is the third major super-specialty medical institution in Odisha after Cuttack and Berhampur. “Odisha government has approved establishment of four new medical colleges in the state along with four dental colleges in Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Balangir and Berhampur. Under the Ayushman Bharat and Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, beneficiaries will soon receive an integrated pan-India health card usable across over 29,000 hospitals in the country,” he added.
Among others, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Rabinarayan Naik, Sambalpur MLA Jaynarayan Mishra, IG (Northern Range) Himanshu Lal, district collector Siddheshwar Baliram Bondar, SP Mukesh Bhamoo, SMC commissioner, Vedbhushan, VIMSAR dean Dr Pradeep Mohanty, and medical superintendent Prof Lal Mohan Nayak were present.
The super-specialty block of VIMSAR has been developed with a funding ratio of 70 per cent from the Centre and 30 per cent from the state government. The facility is expected to benefit people of Sambalpur and 13 districts of western Odisha besides neighbouring states like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.