Odisha Govt’s ‘Ama Hospital’ Initiative to Encompass All State-Run Health Facilities in 4 Years

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has given its initial approval to extend the ‘Ama Hospital’ scheme to all district headquarters, sub-divisional hospitals, community health centres, and primary health centres over the next four years. This move is part of the government’s commitment to enhance healthcare services across the state.

As a part of this expansion, the bed capacity of Jajpur District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) is set to increase from 330 to 420. This increase is aimed at providing accessible and high-quality healthcare to the public. It is also in alignment with the revised norms of the National Medical Commission (NMC) for a teaching hospital, considering a 100 MBBS intake capacity.

Back in February, the government had initiated the transformation of 147 health centres with substantial patient loads into Ama Hospitals. Originally, the scheme focused on improving infrastructure and ensuring an adequate workforce at 30 district headquarters, 30 sub-divisional hospitals, 82 community health centres (CHCs), two Urban Primary Health Centers (UPHCs), one City Hospital, Capital Hospital, and Rourkela Government Hospital. This initiative came with an estimated cost of Rs 750 crore and was expected to be completed by October. Each Assembly constituency had one designated health facility earmarked for transformation.

Additionally, the government hired 1,205 medical graduates to fill vacancies at referral hospitals, primary health centres (PHCs), community health centres (CHCs), and even jail hospitals as part of this healthcare initiative.