MPs demand ESIC medical at Rourkela

Expressbuzz, Nov 23, 2009
BHUBANESWAR: Four senior Congress MPs from Western Orissa have demanded establishment of the proposed ESIC medical college and hospital at Rourkela in Sundargarh district instead of near the Capital for which the State Government is insisting on.Though the maximum number of industrial and mine workers reside in the area which is tribal dominated, it has been neglected in the health sector since Independence, the four MPs said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.The four MPs, former chief minister Hemananda Biswal, former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das, former minister Amarnath Pradhan and Sanjay Bhoi, said that the area includes border districts and industrial belt of Jharsuguda, Deogarh, Keonjhar, Bargarh and Sambalpur. Out of the 2.4 lakh ESI insured persons in the State, 1.4 lakh are from this area, they said and added that the first public sector integrated steel plant was established at Rourkela in 1955.That the area has been neglected is evident from the fact it has only one medical college and hospital, they said, adding that it does not have a super speciality medical and health care facility. They said that regional imbalance will have to be bridged for overall development of the State as well as gaining the confidence of the tribals.Though several medical colleges are going to be set up in the State in the near future, none of these has been proposed to be established in this region.While the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is going to be set up near Bhubaneswar, another medical recommended by the Human Resource Development Ministry will be set up in the coastal district. Besides, another medical college recommended by the Ministry of Railways will be established at Bhubaneswar. Two more medical colleges have been recommended to be set up Koraput and Talcher. Bhubaneswar city also has three private medical colleges and hospitals, they said.The MPs said that the establishment of an ESI medical college and hospital will cater to their needs of the industrial workers in a tribal-dominated region. Besides, it will create more employment and means of livelihood contributing to the economy of the area, they added.