Bhubaneswar: Patients at the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar are set to receive improved healthcare services following several key decisions taken at the Rogi Kalyan Samiti (RKS) meeting held on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by Bhubaneswar Member of Parliament Aparajita Sarangi, who held detailed discussions with hospital authorities regarding long-pending issues affecting healthcare delivery at the state-run hospital.

Capital Hospital caters to thousands of patients daily from Bhubaneswar and surrounding areas. Keeping the rising patient load in mind, the Rogi Kalyan Samiti decided to increase the number of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds from the existing 14 to 40.

To ensure the expansion is carried out at the earliest, Sarangi held telephonic discussions with health Minister Mukesh Mahaling and the Health Secretary during the meeting.

Addressing the needs of postgraduate medical education at the hospital, the samiti also decided to initiate steps for the recruitment of required faculty members. Capital Hospital currently serves as a training centre for postgraduate medical students.

In another major decision, the committee discussed the regularisation of fourth-grade employees who have been working on a contractual basis for several years. Nearly 150 such employees are presently engaged at the hospital through private arrangements. The MP assured necessary steps would be taken soon to make their services permanent.

The meeting was attended by the Capital Hospital Director, Medical Superintendent, Bhubaneswar Central MLA Ananta Narayan Jena, Mayor Sulochana Das, RKS Managing Committee member Bimal Kumar Raul, and senior officials from the Works Department and WATCO.