Eyeing the upcoming assembly polls, Odisha government signed a MoU with 15 private hospitals to provide better healthcare facilities to the poor people in the state. As per the agreement, the authority of a government hospital can refer a patient to a private hospital for treatment.

The private hospitals would provide treatment as per central government health scheme guidelines and the treatment cost would be very less. People enlisted under BPL category will be entitled to get health services upto Rs 3 lakh at private hospitals like Kalinga, Aditya Care, Ayush, Apollo, Hi-Tech, KIMS, and Sum hospital.

The district collectors have been asked to identify the private hospitals within their jurisdiction and submit a proposal for their empanelment. The MoU will be signed with 21 private hospitals in total. The remaining six private hospitals located outside Odisha would be signed shortly.

The MoU with 15 hospitals were signed yesterday between Director Medical Education and Training Sonamani Baghunder and 15 hospital representatives in the presence of Health and Family Welfare minister Dr. Damodar Rout, under Odisha State Treatment Fund, a flagship programme of the state government that was launched on December 15, 2011 to provide financial assistance to poor people for treatment at affordable prices of major ailments like cancer. Chief Secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra and Health and Family Welfare Secretary P K Mohapatra were also present at the meeting.