District hospital starts functioning from Jeypore

KORAPUT: The district headquarters hospital (DHH) was shifted from Koraput to sub-divisional hospital, Jeypore, on Monday, nearly 15 months after the state government accorded it the district hospital status.

The new DHH will also function from the 50-bed model maternity and child health (MCH) care ward that shares its campus with the sub-divisional hospital at Phulobado, on outskirts of Jeypore.

"The new DHH has 110 beds, which will be subsequently upgraded to 300 beds. All required equipment, including beds, have been installed at the new DHH," said collector (Koraput) K Sudarshan Chakravarthy.

Chief district medical officer (Koraput) Lalit Mohan Rath said, "A new building will be constructed with a budget of Rs 52 crore". According to the officer, a detailed design and estimate for the new building has been prepared and work for it will start soon. Once, the building is completed then the number of beds will be increased to 300.

Officials said all the 45 doctors, 61 staff nurses, as many as eight pharmacists and around 80 other health officials have been shifted from Koraput to the DHH at Jeypore and the work has already started.

After the district headquarters hospital was attached to the newly-established Saheed Laxman Nayak Medical College and Hospital (SLNMCH), the Jeypore sub-divisional hospital was given the district hospital status on August 22, 2017. "Shifting of the DHH from Koraput to Jeypore was a long-standing demand of people of the area and it will undoubtedly fill in the gaps in the healthcare infrastructure of the region," said Tara Prasad Bahinipati, MLA Jeypore.

Officials said an urban public health centre will function from the old sub-divisional hospital building.