Bhubaneswar: In another significant step towards Universal Health Care, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved the provision of “Corpus Fund” for hiring Super Specialists and Specialists on contractual basis for Capital Hospital, and BMC Hospital in Bhubaneswar. With this sanction, lakhs of people from Bhubaneswar and adjoining areas depending on these two hospitals will get free super specialty consultation and treatment.
Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Shalini Pandit said, “The fund shall be placed with the Director, Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar. A Committee consisting of the Director, PGIMER, Bhubaneswar, the Director Health Services Odisha (DHS) and the Director Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar under the chairmanship of the Commissioner, BMC, Bhubaneswar shall select, and hire suitable Medical Professionals at individual negotiated rates.”
It is pertinent here to mention that Capital Hospital is being developed and expanded to the level of a Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research. The intelligentsia expressing satisfaction over such move of the Government, expressed the hope that common people would be saved from highly expensive super specialty care in private hospitals.