Bhubaneswar: In a major boost to healthcare delivery for Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) beneficiaries in eastern India, the Odisha government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ESI Corporation for the establishment of an ESI Medical College and Hospital in Bhubaneswar.

The agreement paves the way for setting up a new ESI Medical College and Hospital at Andharua in the city.

As part of the arrangement, the state government has handed over the existing ESI Hospital at Chandrasekharpur to the ESI Corporation, where initial operations of the medical college will commence.

The MoU was formally signed at the conference hall of Kharavel Bhawan in Bhubaneswar in the presence of Chitra Arumugam, Additional Chief Secretary of the Labour and ESI Department, along with other senior officials.

From the Odisha government, the agreement was signed by Rajesh Kumar Agarwala, Additional Secretary of the Labour and ESI Department; Madhumita Nayak, Director of the ESI Scheme, Odisha; Suryanarayan Padhi, Joint Director; and Dr Amiya Kumar Samal, Superintendent of the ESI Hospital, Chandrasekharpur.

Representing the ESI Corporation, the signatories included Dr Rachita Biswas, Medical Commissioner (East Zone); Rudradeep Dutta, Regional Director, Bhubaneswar Regional Office; Dr Ava Tirkey, State Medical Officer; and Sandeep Goel, Executive Engineer.

The initiative is expected to significantly enhance access to quality healthcare and medical education infrastructure in the region.