Odisha CM announces establishment of health university

Bhubaneswar: After 18 years of long wait, Odisha Health University has finally taken its shape with the announcement of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik about the establishment of a health university in the state on the occasion of the 107th birth anniversary of legendary politician Biju Patnaik.

The move is aimed to strengthen the medical education under one roof and ensure uniformity in various academic programmes in medical and allied subjects in the state.

All the medical and allied health science colleges and institutions will stand affiliated to the Odisha University of Health Sciences from the 2023-24 academic session, a notification issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department said, quotes PTI.

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The announcement comes on the birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik who served as Odisha chief minister twice. He was also a Union minister.

His son Naveen Patnaik founded the Biju Janata Dal following Biju Patnaik’s death in 1997 and has been the Odisha chief minister since 2000.

All colleges offering undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses in health sciences, including modern medicine, ayurveda, homoeopathy, nursing, pharmacy and physiotherapy, will now come under the ambit of the varsity from the 2023-24 academic session, an official said.

The state has 10 government medical colleges and private medical colleges while four government medical colleges are coming up in next couple of years. Besides, it has around 200 nursing, AYUSH and pharmacy institutions.

The Odisha government had earlier decided to set up the health university to streamline the medical education system as many such institutions have been coming up in the state, he said.

The Odisha University of Health Sciences Act was passed in the assembly in October 2021 and notified by the government on August 14, 2022. The Act was proposed in 2000's, However, the by-laws and rules for the university were submitted to the government by an expert committee in 2005. The state cabinet passed the Act to bring all medical colleges within the state under one institution. 

The establishment of the health university will “enhance the quality of medical education, patient care and research in the state,” the official added. 

The Act deals with affiliation, proper and systematic instruction, training and research in modern medicine, mental health education, dental education, homeopathy and Ayurveda, nursing education, pharmacy education, paramedical education, physiotherapy, allied medical science and any other medical or pharmaceutical courses.

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