Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Health and Family Welfare Department on Tuesday signed 10 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with leading national and international institutions to strengthen healthcare delivery, medical education, research and health infrastructure across the state.
The agreements were signed at Kharavela Bhavan in Bhubaneswar in the presence of Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling.
The partnering institutions include 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, officials said.
Hailing the occasion as a “historic day” for the department, the Minister said the agreements have been signed under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to improve healthcare services across multiple sectors.
Mahaling said the collaboration with AIIMS New Delhi’s Centre for Emergency and Trauma Care will facilitate the development of a medical college at a district headquarters as a Centre of Excellence for Trauma Care while strengthening trauma care services across Odisha.
The tie-up with the All India Institute of Ayurveda will promote healthcare based on Indian knowledge systems and Ayurveda, while Gujarat’s I-Hub will support innovation, startups and modern teaching methods in medical education. Under the agreement with NABL, laboratories in district headquarters hospitals and sub-divisional hospitals will be upgraded through accreditation to improve diagnostic quality.
Mahaling said the Seva Daan Aarogya Foundation will establish patient attendants’ rest houses at six government medical colleges and hospitals, providing safe and convenient accommodation for relatives accompanying patients.
The Minister further said free heart disease screening camps for children will be organised in remote areas of the state. Under the agreement with Amrita Hospital, Kochi, children from Odisha suffering from congenital heart disease will receive free surgeries, interventional cardiac procedures, post-operative care and follow-up treatment.
The department also signed an agreement with the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, to develop a climate-smart drug warehouse network in the state.
Separate MoUs with Tata Steel Foundation and Kaivalya Education Foundation for Project Swasth aim to strengthen healthcare services, research and institutional infrastructure.
On the occasion, the upgraded Tele-MANAS facility at the Mental Health Institute of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack was virtually inaugurated. The upgraded centre is expected to enhance access to mental health counselling, psychological support and specialist guidance for people across Odisha, particularly those in remote areas, through telephone-based services.
Principal Secretary Aswathy S, National Health Mission Managing Director Brunda D, representatives of the partner institutions and senior officials of the department were present during the programme.