Non-resident Odiya Calls for setting up medical college in backward region Orissa

Orissadiary.com, Jan 7, 2009

Report by Dipti Ranjan Kanungo; Bhubaneswar: An Oriya NRI based in Lebanon Digambara Patra, Ph.D, Assistant Professor,Department of Chemistry, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon recently written a letter to the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik that Recently Central Government has upgraded five more medical colleges to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) standard all over the nation.
It has also sanctioned two more premier referral institutes on the lines of the prestigious AIIMS, one at Raiganj in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district and the other in Uttar Pradesh .But the Orissa Government has not taken any initiative in this regard to convert either V V S medical college to such AIIMS standard or proposed similar institution in backward region such as for WODC initiated medical college in Jaring or Balangir.
Despite high profile foundation ceremony for both the medical colleges in Balangir and Jaring, they have not yet met the expectations even after five years. Situation of proposed private medical college in Balaangir is worst among three proposed private medical colleges through WODC initiative in Rourkela, Jaring and Balangir. In future pritvate medical college in Rourkela may acceptably be successful like in state capital region.
Though Orissa has severe shoratge of medical professionals such as doctors and has less number of Government medical colleges compared to Kerala, TN, AP, Karnataka, Maharastra etc, medical college is more than an educational institution for local people in backward pockets. It serves as a hospital for secondary and tertiary health facilities providing better service and facilities for local people in backward region where finding good quality private hospitals like APPOLO, Kalinga Hospital, etc are almost zero. On the other hand private medical colleges and hosptials rarely meet what Government medical college provides towards local health facilities to poor people who have little support to even travel state capital from Koraput, Kalahandi or Balangir regions or pay required fees.
Keeping backwardness region in mind West Bengal Government has proposed to establish similar AIIMS like institution in North Bengal whereas Chhattisgarh Government has established Government medical college in Jagdalpur region. Similarly Tamil Nadu Government is estblishing in Tiruvar and AP & Karnataka Governments in other backward pockets in their states.
However, Orissa Government has only initiated through WODC for private medical college in backward and less deserved region. It does not make sense when state Government is establishing fully Government medical colleges in capital region such Capital hospital medical college , ESIC medical college at the same time encouraging private player to open medical college in regions like Balangir, Kalahandi etc as a result such institutions in backward places are struggling to meet local expectation even after five years where as other private medical colleges in Bhubaneswar region have already started their courses and hospital by this time.
In fact it is giving a wrong impression stating that Orissa state Government is more concerned towards estblishing Govenenment institution in state capital region such as law University, capital medical college, ESIC medical college, culture University, Ravenshaw University, IIT, NISER, WCCU, etc by ignoring other backrward parts, except consolation given to Kalahandi and Berhampur regions recently for their respective local demand for national institution since decades in the form of engineering colleges.
I hope you write to central Government to establish a similar AIIMS type institution in KBK region or up grade VSS medical college to an AIIMS type institution along with completely taking out medical colleges proposed in Balangir and Jaring from private players to be fully state Government medical colleges.
Converting reginal diagonetic centers at Baripada, Bhawanipatna, Koraput and Sundergarh to fullfledge Government medical colleges will not be a bad idea either for the state Government as these locations were chosen based on backwarness, tribal population and geographical requirements. Similar regional diagonetic center in captial hospital has been converted to a Government medical college. Indeed it will serve in greater interest of the state along with present Government medical colleges in Cuttack, Berhampur, Burla and Bhubaneswar apart from recently proposed imedical college in Talcher/Angul by Central Coal Ministry (which will be logically equivalent to Government medical college).