Centre plans to convert 75 hospitals into medical colleges

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said the Centre is planning to convert 75 hospitals in aspirational districts across the country into medical colleges in a phased manner.

He said, a target has been set to convert 49 hospitals, including six in Odisha, into medical colleges within the next five years.

Speaking on the sidelines of the function at AIIMS in Bhubaneswar yesterday, the Union Health Minister said Centre has included 10 districts of Odisha in the list of aspirational districts.

Stating that the Centre has planned to set up 1 lakh 50 thousand health and wellness centres across the country under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, Dr Vardhan said that 25 thousand such units have already been established.

The minister also reiterated the Odisha government to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the state

“We have been appealing to the state government to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Odisha so that poor people will get the free of cost health service,” he said.