Finance
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik lavished praise on the people of Odisha and the state administration for the rescue and treatment operations carried out following the train accident in Balasore.
“I am proud of my people. I am proud of Odisha,” he said while speaking at a ‘Nijukti Parva’ function at Kalinga stadium where 1205 Medical Officers joined the state government.
Recalling the railway accident, the Chief Minister stated that everyone is aware of the Balasore train tragedy, which shook the nation and even the world. It’s a period of great sadness and grief. But, he said, the catastrophe had demonstrated Odisha’s strength, its ability to rise to the occasion in times of crisis.
He then said, “It has manifested the compassion and humanity of the people of Odisha. Doctors, medical students, general public….all had one thing in mind…. Let’s save life… as many as we can. And we have saved more than a thousand lives. People providing support to rescue operations, the long queues for blood donation are sights rare but invaluable. I am proud of my people. I am proud of Odisha.”
“Now coming to administration”, he said, “I must say that the state administration came into action mode the very moment the news came around. Ministers, top officers, supporting staff…..all were at the site of accident and health centres, making arrangements and monitoring the rescue and treatment operations.”
Transparency, technology, teamwork, time management, and transformation were all on full show. This is part of our 5T program. This is transformation; this is how he described his transformative governance.
He went on to say that we had success with cyclone management using a long-term strategy, Covid management using a medium-term approach, and now we have proven that we are equally capable of handling such a quick crisis needing immediate response.
Congratulating the new Medical Officers, he stated that this is a significant increase to the state’s existing doctor strength and will undoubtedly strengthen healthcare in government hospitals and improve patient satisfaction. He expected them to serve others with compassion and integrity.
‘Every Life is Precious for Us,’ he said, adding that in the last six years, we have created eight new medical colleges and two new postgraduate institutes based on this philosophy. He noted that this has resulted in the generation of 2200 MBBS doctors and 826 Specialists per year.
He went on to say that by adding consistency to the recruitment process, we have appointed around 4500 Medical Officers in the last four years.
An additional 5000 Medical Officer positions have recently been created as part of the State’s initiative to modernize health services. These positions will be filled in the near future. I am pleased to repeat that all MBBS openings in the State would be filled by December 2023. Odisha will be a doctor-surplus State from next year onwards, he added.
When asked about the state’s flagship Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, he said it is a very popular scheme that delivers great healthcare in recognized private institutions across the country. This is undoubtedly of enormous assistance to poor folks who are suffering from ailments. Every month, we spend roughly Rs 225 crore to treat over one lakh people, he noted.
Speaking at the event, Health Minister Niranjan Pujari discussed the government’s efforts to strengthen health facilities in the state. He stated that the CM’s goal of every life being valuable has improved the state’s health scenario.
Snigdhamayee Panda, Muktiranjan Mallick, and Sharmila Sahu, three new medical officers, discussed their recruitment experiences.
They stated that the process was completely transparent and that everything was completed on time. They expressed gratitude for the 5-T project and pledged to serve people with zeal.
In his talk, Minister of Health and Family Welfare Niranjan Pujari spoke about numerous programmes done by the health department and exhorted young doctors to work towards the success of the Chief Minister’s ‘Sustha Odisha Sukhi Odisha’ philosophy.
Pradeep Kumar Jena, the chief secretary, was also present.
Interacting with the new medicos, Secretary to the Chief Minister (5T) VK Pandian stated that Nijukti Parva is a celebration of their success and the sacrifices they have taken to get to this point in their lives.
He discussed the state’s transition since 2000 and how Odisha is coming out successful in every challenge it has faced.
He stated that the Chief Minister has long emphasized that “Every Life is Precious,” and that doctors are the poster children for this attitude. He instructed them to work tirelessly to save every life in their field.
In her welcome address, Health Secretary Shalini Pandit discussed the government’s activities in health education and recruitment.
The vote of gratitude was proposed by Director Health.
At the start, a minute of silence was observed in honor of the victims of the Bahanaga railway disaster.
Source:OCN
