Chief Secretary reviews World Class Bagchi-Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Center project

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra today reviewed the construction work of World Class Bagchi-Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Center in Bhubaneswar.

Mahapatra along with Chairman Odisha Skill Development Authority and Funding patron of the Hospital Dr Subrato Bagchi visited the campus, and reviewed the physical progress with the Engineers and Supervisors working at the field level.

He reviewed the matters like availability of construction materials, manpower, machine, possible law and order bottleneck etc. He asked the ground level Engineers, who in their turn replied that they faced no problem in these matters.

The construction work was on full swing and the foundation work for OPD building is over. The engineers expressed the hope that the roof casting of the ground floor would be done by 1st week of May, 2022. In the review, the target was set to start treatment of patients by Car Festival of 2023 after completion of the first phase of construction.

The hospital would be developed to a 750 bedded hospital with latest equipments and world-class expertise in cancer treatment. Originally 500 bed hospital was planned.

The Chief Secretary advised to build all amenities like waiting space, canteen, toilets, parking places, the shops for essential commodities in the campus etc. He also advised to develop the low laying area of the campus to a beautiful tank.

Available data showed that the hospital was being built with estimated cost of around Rs 220 cr. Government of Odisha provided 20 acres land free of cost as the hospital would operate as a philanthropic health care institution.

Later, Mahapatra and Dr Bagchi visited the premises of Bagchi-Karunashraya Palliative care center being constructed over another 20 acres of land near the hospital.

The Center would have 150 bedded Unit with all palliative care and service facilities. It would also provide consultancy to the patients and their family members. The Center would have one 500 seated auditorium for education and research activities.

An amount of Rs 210 cr would be invested in development of the center. Target was set to complete its constriction by July of 2023.

Further, review showed that Center which operated from its temporary campus at Gandamunda with rendering of home-based service to the patients from December of last year also started OPD services from March, 2022.

Mostly the patients needing palliative care were being referred from Acharaya Harihar Cancer Hospital, Cuttack; AIIMS, Bhubaneswar; Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar; and other Government Hospitals.

It may be pertinent here to mention that Bagchi-Karunashraya palliative Care Center was inaugurated in its temporary campus at Gandamunda by the Chief Secretary in the month of December, 2021.

In the meanwhile, the Center registered 128 patients within 25 Kms radius of its campus. The doctors and nurses of the centers provided home based service to the patients. Besides, 37 patients were registered for palliative care as referral cases from different hospitals. The Center also coordinated with NGOs and Charity Organizations for proving ration and educational assistance to the poor families of the departed cancer patients. So far, 6 such families were brought under the fold of financial assistance from the NGOs.

Chairman OSDA Dr Subrata Bagchi, Chief Architect of the Hospital  Sundar Raman, Chief Architect of Palliative Care Center  Naresh Medappa, Manager Operation Bagch–Karunasraya Gyana Ranjan Mohapatra, Project Manager  Lalatendu Choudhury presented the field level situation and necessary data for the review.