Odisha Gears up to Launch Two New Medical Colleges in Talcher and Phulbani

Bhubaneswar: Odisha will soon have two new government medical colleges in Talcher and Phulbani, set to begin operations before the 2025-26 academic session.

In a high-level meeting chaired by State Health Secretary Aswathy S, key officials gathered to review the progress and address the remaining requirements before the Pabitra Mohan Pradhan Medical College and Hospital (PMPMCH) in Talcher, Angul district, and the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Phulbani, Kandhamal district, commence operations.

The high-level meeting which was held on Thursday was conducted via video conferencing. The focus of the meeting was to ensure that both institutions are fully prepared, with special attention given to the readiness of buildings, equipment, and any other logistical gaps that need to be addressed.

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According to Ommcomnews, the meeting was attended by key officials, including Poma Tudu, Managing Director of OSMCL; Abdaal M. Akhtar, Angul Collector; Amrit Ruturaj, Kandhamal Collector; Bijay Kumar Mohapatra, Director of Health Services; Santosh Mishra, Director of Medical Education & Training; Usharani Sahoo, Additional Secretary; Prof. Dr. Kirtirekha Mohapatra, Dean and Principal of Pabitra Mohan Pradhan Medical College; and Prof. Dr. Debaprasad Mohanty, Dean of Government Medical College & Hospital in Phulbani.

To expedite the process, district collectors from Angul and Kandhamal, along with other relevant officials, have been instructed to hold weekly meetings to accelerate pending work and ensure that the institutions are ready on time.

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The construction of PMPMCH, which began in April 2016, has been completed. Mahanadi Coalfields Limited invested approximately Rs 500 crore in building the hospital, medical college, hostels, and residential complexes.

The Government Medical College and Hospital in Phulbani, spread over 50 acres, is also nearing completion. It is being built by the state government at a cost of Rs 548 crore.

Official sources confirmed that both institutions have applied to the National Medical Commission (NMC) for approval to start admissions for the MBBS program. According to TOI, Santosh Kumar the director of medical education and Training said, "We are prepared to start the admission process in each hospital with 200 seats. After getting approval from NMC, we will start the admission process."

Currently, Odisha has a total of 2,450 MBBS seats across its medical colleges. With the addition of the 200 seats in both Talcher and Phulbani, the total number of MBBS seats in the state will rise to 2,650, further enhancing the opportunities for aspiring medical students in Odisha.