25-06-2025
Nine more medical colleges to be set up in Odisha: Minister Mukesh Mahaling
BHUBANESWAR: Health and Family Welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling on Tuesday said that the government will set up nine new medical colleges in the state.
Inaugurating the first edition of CII Healthcare Summit 2025 here, Mahaling said of the nine institutions, four each will be government medical and dental colleges and one Ayurvedic college.
'We have decided to establish four medical colleges in Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Dhenkanal and Nabarangpur districts while four dental colleges will come up in Burla, Berhampur, Balangir and Keonjhar. The Ayurvedic college will be set up in Mayurbhanj district,' he told mediapersons.
Mahaling said two new medical colleges with 100 MBBS seats each in Phulbani (Kandhamal district) and Talcher (Angul district) will commence operations from the current academic year. The new medical colleges will help meet the growing demand for doctors in the state, he said.
Chairman of CII Odisha State Council and COO of Vedanta Ltd Jharsuguda Sunil Gupta underscored Odisha's growing role in the national healthcare landscape and the importance of public-private partnerships in driving future growth.
Convener of CII's Odisha healthcare panel and COO of Apollo Hospitals, Bhubaneswar, Alok Srivastava said affordable healthcare, local innovations and entrepreneurship are key to transforming the sector. Medical tourism is poised to grow significantly and Odisha can benefit immensely, he said.
G Suresha, vice-chairman, CII Odisha State Council and executive director, AM/NS India, expressed gratitude to the dignitaries and participants for their contributions in shaping the future of healthcare in Odisha.
Themed 'Healing Meets Heritage: Unlocking Odisha's Potential as a Medical Tourism Hub', the summit explored how the state's rich cultural and natural assets can be harnessed to attract healthcare travellers. An exhibition as well as B2B and B2G meetings organised on the sidelines of the event facilitated strategic partnerships and investment opportunities.
