Bhubaneswar: Odisha has witnessed incredible transformation in Health Sector in the last two decades under the guidance of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. From being a State known for its poor health indicators in the year 2000, today Odisha stands tall as an Achiever State in the country with the highest decline in Infant Mortality Rate in the country between 2005 to 2020 (SRS); 2nd highest point decline in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in the country between 2015-17 to 2018-20 (SRS); highest Immunization Coverage in the country (90.5%: NFHS-5); highest decline of 94% in Malaria in the country; second rank in the country for TB reduction; and a record Institutional delivery of 92.2% (NFHS-5) said Niranjan Pujari, Minister, Finance, Parliamentary Affairs, Health and Family Welfare.
Briefing the press here on the highlights of H&FW Department on the Budget 2023-24 Financial Year, Pujari said that the COVID management in our state, driven by the clarion call ‘Every life is Precious’ of our Chief Minister, received worldwide recognition and appreciation. Despite the lockdown, we scaled up our Oxygen production facilities not only to meet our own requirement but also supplied to many other states facing a severe shortage of Oxygen, enabling them to save large number of lives.
The impact of 5T initiatives on healthcare development of the state is clearly visible on the ground, from transforming the SCB Medical College & Hospital into an AIIMS Plus category hospital to introducing BSKY Smart Health Cards to launching Mukhya Mantri Bayu Swasthya Seva (air health services).
A total sum of Rs.16,048 crore has been proposed for public health care, which is an increase of about 27 percent over previous year and about 3 times of the allocation in 2017-18. It amounts to 7 percent of the State Budget. This includes provision of Rs.3,725 crore under Administrative Expenditure and Rs.12,031 crore under Programme Expenditure under Health and Family Welfare Department. The provision under Programme Expenditure has been substantially increased by 33% over the Budget Estimates, 2022-23.
‘Health Care for All’ has been the guiding principle of our Government while formulating the Budget for 2023-24. It has been the dream of the Chief Minister to upgrade public health facilities to the standard of the best private hospitals. Towards this end, a new scheme has been proposed under Health Sector AMA Hospital which has an ambitious target to transform 147 health facilities in a record period of 9 months, with an outlay of Rs. 750 crores in the Budget Estimates for 2023-24.
Under this scheme the Physical Health Infrastructure, basic patient amenities and service delivery system in the public health facilities, i.e. Community Health Centres, Sub-District Hospitals and District Head Quarter Hospitals will be upgraded.
It is the goal of the Government to ensure that all public health facilities have required numbers of doctors and paramedics. Towards this end, nearly 4000 doctors have been recruited in the last 5 years alone, and over 5000 doctors are expected to be recruited in 2023-24.
Regarding the Medical College in the State, Smt. Shalini Pandit, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, H&FW Department said that The State is laying much emphasis on creation and expansion of health care infrastructure across the State. In the past 6 years, the State has established 7 new medical colleges at Balasore, Baripada, Bolangir, Koraput, Puri, Keonjhar and Sundergarh, and 2 new Post Graduate Institutes at Acharya Harihar Cancer hospital, Cuttack and Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar.
In 2023-24, it is planned to make the Kalahandi medical college functional, followed by Talcher, Phulbani and Jajpur in subsequent phases.
For infrastructure development, an amount of Rs.3,003 crore have been proposed in the BE, 2023-24 under the State Scheme Mukhya Mantri Swasthya Seva Mission, which includes Rs.1400 crore for SCB Redevelopment Programme. Additionally, Rs.71 crore has been provided towards Diet, Rs.646 crore towards outsourcing of services for security, sanitation, laundry and maintenance under NIRMAL and Rs.110 crore towards Equipment in the BE for 2023-24.
The 108 Ambulance Services was launched by the Government in 2012-13 to provide emergency transportation service to critically ill patients. The present Average Response Time of 108 ambulance service across the country is about 30 minutes. Keeping in mind the motto of the Chief Minister that ‘Every Life is Precious’, the Government has undertaken an ambitious target of reducing the Average Response Time of ambulances from 30 minutes to 20 minutes. Accordingly it is proposed to induct 236 new Ambulances into the fleet, for which a budgetary provision of Rs.250 crore has been proposed in the Budget Estimate, 2023-24.
For implementation of various Centrally Sponsored Schemes, Rs. 2,289 crore has been provided in the BE, 2023-24.
Gurbeer Singh, Joint Director, I&PR Department welcomed the Media persons while Director Indramani Tripathy proposed vote of thanks.