Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Within the next five years, the Odisha government hopes to increase the number of MBBS seats in the state’s medical schools. In addition to this endeavor, Health & Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling declared on Saturday that 3,000 health workers and 5,000 doctors would be hired shortly.
“The government plans to increase the number of MBBS seats in various medical colleges from the current 2,500 to 5,000 over the next five years,” Mahaling said while sharing details of the initiative.
He highlighted several programs aimed at strengthening the healthcare infrastructure in the state. These include recruiting 5,000 doctors and 3,000 health workers across various categories to fill existing vacancies. Additionally, steps are being taken to start postgraduate courses in all newly established medical colleges and increase the bed capacity in district headquarters hospitals to 400. The Minister noted that Odisha established its fourth government medical college after a gap of nearly 60 years. Under the current administration, the number of government medical colleges in the state has risen to 11.
“The BJP-led Central government’s unique policy of establishing one government medical college in each district with a 60:40 financial sharing ratio between the Center and the state has made this progress possible,” Mahaling continued. He promised that Odisha would make the most of this program in order to fortify its healthcare system even more.
