ESIC Medical College & Hosp to be set up in Odisha capital: Minister

Bhubaneswar: The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College and Hospital will be set up here in the city, informed Odisha Labour & Employment Minister Susanta Singh to the House.

Replying to a question by MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain in Assembly on Wednesday, the Minister told the House that the state government has provided 25 acre at Jagannath Prasad Mouza on outskirts of Bhubaneswar.

The boundary work of the medical college and hospital has been completed at expenses of Rs 13.97 crore spent by the ESIC, Singh told the House.

In reply to Swain, the Minister said that the ESIC on Oct 7, 2008 had decided to construct a medical college and hospital in area of 25 acre in every state. The state government had provided 25 acre to the ESIC for the project on outskirts of the city. The foundation stone of the project was laid by Union Minister on March 2, 2014. However, the project was put on hold on Oct 9, 2015.

Later, Odisha Chief Minister wrote to the Centre urging to take steps to set up a 500-bed super specialty hospital in Bhubaneswar at the earliest.

The decision to continue the project was taken at 173rd meeting of ISIC held on February 16.

Initially, the ESIC will construct a 150-bed hospital with the the advanced facilities for treatment for the beneficiaries. Later, the number of beds will be increased to 250, Singh said.

Currently, there are four ESI hospitals in Odisha in the locations in Bhubaneswar, Choudwar, Kansbahal and JK Pur. The tender process for constructing two more hospitals in Angul and Duburi has completed. Besides, the ESIC is planning to build hospitals in Paradip, Balasore, Berhampur and Jeypore.