AIIMS Satellite Centre in Balasore likely to function by July

Bhubaneswar: The much-awaited Satellite Centre of AIIMS Bhubaneswar in Balasore district is likely to be functional by July this year.

The civil construction work of the satellite centre is in final stage and it will be functional by July 2021, informed AIIMS Bhubaneswar Director Dr. Gitanjali Batmanabane.

With operationalisation of the satellite centre in Balasore district, the number of patients visiting the AIIMS Bhubaneswar from north Odisha districts for treatment will be reduced.

Recently, the Koraput Lok Sabha MP Saptagiri Ulaka had discussed with Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan about uncertainty looming over construction work of satellite centre following which the long-awaited project resumed. Later, Union MSME Minister Pratap Sarangi wrote to the Union Health Minister urging him to expedite the infrastructure work of AIIMS Bhubaneswar’s satellite centre in Balasore.

More than a week ago, Odisha Cabinet had approved a proposal of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department to lease out 25 acre land under Remuna Tehsil in Balasore district free of cost in favour of the Department of Health & Family Welfare  for the establishment of satellite centre of AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

The project for setting up a satellite centre of AIIMS Bhubaneswar in Balasore district was announced by the Centre during UPA-II regime in 2013. The construction work began after the foundation stone was laid by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in August 2018.

Following the Centre’s announcement, the superficiality OPD services were available at a venue provided by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) since 2017 on each Saturday in Balasore. However, the weekly OPD service of AIIMS Bhubaneswar was suspended last year due to nationwide lockdown for Coronavirus.

Initially, it was decided to have infrastructure for OPD services and staff quarters at the satellite centre. Later, various social outfits raised their demand to make the satellite centre into an autonomous super speciality hospital.

Dr. Gitanjali stated that all the specialists of AIIMS Bhubaneswar will stay at the satellite centre in Balasore.

In first phase, the infrastructure has been built at expenditure of Rs 35 crore to provide treatment to critical patients like AIIMS Bhubaneswar. In second phase, it will be upgraded to a multispeciality hospital for which a DPR is being prepared. The work will further continue once it gets nod from the government, she added.