Bhubaneswar: The state government Wednesday said that admissions into Balasore and Bolangir Medical Colleges will take place from this academic session.
Highlighting the achievements of Health and Family Welfare department, Pratap Jena said that the government will also appoint 2,178 doctors soon through Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) to meet the shortage of doctors in government-run healthcare facilities.
The minister said that 11 new welfare schemes were launched in 2017-18 to provide better health facilities to the people of the state.
The priority area of the government was to provide free medicines to the people and make health insurance universal. Accordingly, under the free drugs scheme, Niramaya, the government has spent over Rs 500 crore during the period 2014-2018 in providing free medicines to people of the State. Over three crore people of the State have been benefited under the scheme, the minister added.
He also said for making health insurance universal, the government, through the Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana (BKKY), Odisha State Treatment Fund (OSTF), Rashtriya Swasthya Vima Yojana (RSVY) and Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF), has covered about 70 lakh families with a health cover of over Rs 800 crore.
He further said that new programmes have also been launched recently to provide proper and affordable treatment to cancer patients in the state.
On law, the minister said that special courts have been set up in all 30 districts for trial of offences against women. Such courts have also been set up for trial of offences against STs and SCs.
The government will also open 50 courts this year in the state to fast-track various cases pending at district level.
Stating that justice in the doorstep is the main motive of the present government in the state, the minister said that the state government plans to set up civil judge-cum-JMFC courts in all blocks. Out of 314 blocks in the state, such courts have already been set up in 199 blocks.
