Oct 21, 2010
To
To
Prof. Dr. Abhijit Sen, Member of Planning Commission
CC
Honourable President of India, Smt Patil
Honourable Prime Minister of India, Dr Singh
Honourable UPA Chairperson, Smt Gandhi
Honourable Chief Minister of Orissa, Shri Patnaik
Honourable Congress General Secretary, Shri Gandhi
Honourable Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Dr Ahluwalia
Honourable Union Minister of Health and Family Affairs, Shri Azad
Honourable MPs from Orissa
Department of Health, Orissa
Members of Planning Commission
Media
Dear Prof. Dr. Sen,
Your recent visit to KBK and realisation of the importance of a medical college and super specialist hospital [1] (The New Indian Express, Bhubaneswar Edition, Oct 20, 2010) in KBK region are significant.
As you understood during your visit, there are no secondary and tertiary health facilities in the whole KBK region, so is the lack of health professionals. Every year hundreds of lives are lost, especially in Kalahandi and Rayagada districts, due to inadequate health facilities. Although KBK region consists 30 % of geographical area and 20% of population of Orissa state, it does not have any fully state Government funded medical college, whereas three neighbouring districts such as Cuttack (SCB medical college), Khurdha (Capital medical college) and Ganjam (MKCG medical college) have respective three medical colleges in Coastal Orissa, in addition multiple Government institutions such as AIIMS, ESIC medical college, Railway Medical college, etc and about 10 more private medical college are being proposed in the region [2].
In addition politics is costing a lot for backward district like Kalahandi in health.
For instance presently Kalahandi is represented by MP from Congress Party and has sent maximum number of Congress MLAs (4 out of 5) to Orissa assembly compared to any other district in Orissa. Therefore, the Orissa state Government is playing foul politics against Kalahandi which is evident from the fact that despite a long standing demand from various intellectual groups across the state to have a Govt medical college in Kalahandi through KBK funding [3-6] (Orissa diary, Jan 7, 2009; The Samaja, Dec 17, 2009; The Pioneer, Bhubaneswar Edition, March 25, 2010), recently Orissa state Government has recommended to the central Government to establish a Government Medical college through RLTAP (Revised Long Term Action Program) for KBK in Koraput [7] (The Pioneer, Bhubaneswar Edition, Aug 23, 2010). This is quite injustice and unaccepted because of following reasons.
1. Due to diaherra in 2010 many lives were lost in Rayagada district whereas in all previous years 2009, 2008, 2007, etc most of the lives were lost in Kalahandi district.
2. Even in 2010 the large number of death was encountered in Kalyansighpur, Bisam Cuttack, Kashipur and Muniguda regions of Rayagada district. All these regions are close to and bordering with Kalahandi district. Kashipur was part of Kalahandi till 1967.
3. Beside Kalahandi and Rayagada, other districts which are prone to diaherra are not only Koraput, Nabaragpur and Malkangiri, but also Kandhamal, Nuapada and Balangir.
4. Central district to these entire above district is Kalahandi.
5. Central location to all KBK districts is Kalahandi.
6. Central location to tribal cluster of KBK, Kandhamal, Boudh, Gajapati and Bargarh is also Kalahandi.
7. There was a long standing demand in Kalahandi region to establish a central University and Government medical college. Though WODC had initiated to establish a private medical college in Jaring, it is not working out due to inadequate interest of private player since past six years. Since past few years people in the region, who basically are poor, have been demanding a Government medical college in the region instead of private one.
8. Because of the above reason in Dec 2009 the MPs from Western Orissa and KBK also together raised in the parliament to establish a Government medical college and super-speciality hospital in Kalahandi, the central location of KBK-Kandhamal, for the benefit of whole KBK region (The Samaja, Dec 17, 2009).
9. In past an online petition [4] and many letters have been given to Government of India by various people to establish a central Govt. medical college in Kalahandi for KBK region.
10. Not a single Central Government funded institution has been established in undivided Kalahandi whereas both undivided Balangir and Koraput are given quite a few numbers. Among them undivided Koraput district has few public sector industries beside recently established Central University of Orissa and proposed CSIR facilities.
In this respect we urge you to look into the matter carefully, rationally and logically rather than blindly supporting state Government’s recommendation, and in the line of North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute for Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) in Shillong kindly recommend for a similar institute such as KBK Rajiv Gandhi Regional Institute for Health and Medical Science (KBKRGRIHMS) with 1000 bed Super Specialty Hospital in Kalahandi through special KBK funding.
Thanking you and best regards
Digambara Patra
Reference
1. The New Indian Express, Bhubaneswar Edition, Oct 20, 2010
3. Orissa diary, Jan 7, 2009
4. The Pioneer, Bhubaneswar Edition, March 25, 2010
6. The Samaja (Oriya), Dec 17, 2009
7. The Pioneer, Bhubaneswar Edition, Aug 23, 2010
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