Post News Network
Talcher/Angul, Sept 3: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday laid the foundation stone of the Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) funded medical college and hospital at Baishnabragudi under Ghantapada panchayat of Talcher block in Angul district.
Patnaik said the project is an outcome of the state government’s initiative in that the latter had given a proposal to the Centre to set up a medical college and hospital. The memorandum of understanding was signed in 2014. Moreover, the state government even provided 20-acre of land for this purpose free of cost.
The state government has taken several measures to ensure healthcare of people in the state and setting up of medical colleges in five districts is a step in this direction, he said. The establishment of medical colleges will help fulfill the shortage of doctors, he hoped. At present, 550 students pass out of the three medical colleges in the state every year which falls far short of the actual need, he claimed.
The state government, therefore, is laying stress on setting up of more such colleges. On the occasion, Patnaik called on public sector undertakings to come forward and contribute to the healthcare system in the state.
State health and family welfare minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Union coal minister Piyush Goyal, petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Sambalpur MP Nagendra Pradhan, Talcher MLA Braja Kishore Pradhan, Chhendipada MLA Susant Behera, Angul MLA Rajanikant Singh, Pallahara MLA Mahesh Sahu, Athamallik MLA Sanjeev Sahu, Parjang MLA Nrusingha Sahu and MCL chairman and managing director AN Sahaya were present at the function.
Dhenkanal MP Tathagata Satpathy, even though present at the meeting place, was not on the dais as neither the MCL authorities nor the Union coal ministry had extended a formal invitation to him.
