JHARSUGUDA: The commencement of inpatient services at BMRC Cardiac Care Hospital in Jharsuguda has sparked a political slugfest between the BJP and BJD, with both parties staking claim to the project’s success.
After the new hospital launched its inpatient department (IPD) services on Friday, former Jharsuguda MLA of BJD Deepali Das attacked BJP legislator Tankadhar Tripathy, alleging that the saffron party was following a pattern of re-branding existing projects rather than acknowledging the contributions of the previous government.
Displaying a series of official correspondences written by her father and former minister Naba Kishore Das, Deepali on Saturday said, “The BMRC Cardiac Care Hospital is not a project that appeared overnight. The process began in 2013, the foundation stone was laid in 2015, and the hospital was formally inaugurated in 2024.”
She also presented photographs and documents related to the hospital’s inauguration in February 2024, asserting that the project had already been formally launched before the BJP government came to power. “Instead of claiming credit for the work which was already done, the BJP MLA should focus on delivering new development for Jharsuguda. His repeated attempts to mislead the public are tarnishing the image of the government and the BJP. The Chief Minister should take serious note of it,” said Deepali.
Responding to the allegations, Tankadhar said the cardiac hospital building was constructed with financial assistance from Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), a Central government undertaking. However, it remained under-utilised for years as the previous BJD government allegedly failed to equip and operationalise the facility. “Why was the hospital not made functional despite leaders associated with the previous government holding key positions in the health sector?” he questioned.
The BJP MLA said the hospital was inaugurated in 2024, but without adequate doctors, equipment and operational arrangements. “If the previous government was serious about the project, why was it not made fully functional? Our government has ensured that the facility is finally serving the people,” he said.
The BMRC Cardiac Care Hospital was originally slated for completion by 2021 but faced delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the collapse of an earlier PPP arrangement. The project gained momentum in 2024 after the state government partnered with Kolkata-based BMRC Hospital. While OPD facility was made operational then, IPD services commenced on Friday with 50 beds.
