Bhubaneswar: In a significant development so far as the health sector is concerned, as many as six District Headquarter Hospitals (D.H.H) in the aspirational districts will be upgraded to medical colleges, said Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan here at Bhubaneswar.
The Centre is also planning to add two more districts in this category (Converting DHH to Medical Colleges), he further added.
Odisha is eyeing more medical colleges as the State Government is making serious efforts to increase the availability of medical graduates in the State.
Odisha has 10 Aspirational Districts and the Union Government is harping on setting up medical colleges in the Aspirational Districts in the first phase.
Earlier the government had announced to set up 75 new government colleges, especially in the underserved areas .
The Union Minister also urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to implement the Ayushman Bharat Yojana in the state.
During his one day visit to Odisha, Harsh Vardhan unveiled the statue of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the AIIMS-Bhubaneswar campus.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved establishing 75 government medical colleges by 2021-22. These would be attached to the existing district/ referral hospitals. The Cabinet has sanctioned Rs 24,375 crore during the 15th Finance Commission period i.e., up to 2021-22.