Finance
On Tuesday, the Odisha Health and Family Welfare Department signed ten Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with prominent national and international organizations to improve healthcare delivery, medical education, research, and health infrastructure throughout the state.
The agreements were inked at Kharavela Bhavan in front of Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling. Gujarat’s I-Hub, Antara Foundation, the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Adani Group’s Seva Daan Aarogya Foundation, Health System Transformation Platform, AIIMS New Delhi’s Centre for Emergency and Trauma Care, Amrita Hospital, Kochi, the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Tata Steel Foundation, and Kaivalya Education Foundation under Project Swasth.
Mahaling described the occasion as a “historic day” for the department, stating that the agreements were inked under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to strengthen healthcare services in a variety of sectors.
He stated that the collaboration with AIIMS New Delhi’s Centre for Emergency and Trauma Care will help to establish a medical college at a district headquarters as a Center of Excellence for Trauma Care, as well as boost trauma care services throughout Odisha.
The collaboration with the All India Institute of Ayurveda would promote healthcare based on Indian knowledge systems and Ayurveda, whilst Gujarat’s I-Hub will encourage innovation, startups, and current teaching methods in medical education. Under the NABL agreement, laboratories in district headquarters and sub-divisional hospitals would be accredited to improve diagnostic quality.
According to Mahaling, the Seva Daan Aarogya Foundation will develop patient attendant rest cottages at six government medical institutes and hospitals, providing safe and comfortable housing for family visiting patients.
The Minister added that free heart disease screening camps for children will be held in distant districts of the state. Children from Odisha with congenital heart disease will receive free surgeries, interventional cardiac procedures, post-operative care, and follow-up treatment as part of a partnership with Amrita Hospital in Kochi.
The department has struck a deal with the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, to establish a climate-smart medicine warehousing network throughout the state. Separate MoUs with the Tata Steel Foundation and the Kaivalya Education Foundation for Project Swasth aim to improve healthcare, research, and institutional infrastructure.
During the event, the enhanced Tele-MANAS facility at the Mental Health Institute of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack was virtually inaugurated. The improved centre is designed to improve access to mental health counselling, psychological support, and specialized assistance for people throughout Odisha, particularly those living in remote locations, via telephone services.
The programme was attended by Health Department Principal Secretary Aswathy S., National Health Mission Managing Director Dr. Brunda D., representatives from partner institutions, and senior Health and Family Welfare Department officials.
