Odisha’s affordable hospitals project receives encouraging response from investors

Chennai: The Odisha government on Wednesday organized an investors’ meet focused on attracting private investments in the healthcare sector.

The investors’ meet was conducted in Chennai in association with industries partner Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

The meet saw an encouraging response from investors like Apollo, Kauvery, Dr Agarwal’s Eye Institute, Medall among others.

This roadshow came on the back of the investors’ meet organized in New Delhi a fortnight ago where 52 healthcare investors including Max Healthcare, Manipal group, Glocal Healthcare, VPS Healthcare, Yashoda Hospitals, Cygnus Medicare attended and evinced interest to explore investment opportunities in Odisha.

Speaking at the investors’ meet, Health Minister Pratap Jena said, “The State Government is committed for the growth of the healthcare infrastructure in the priority districts of the State. The Government assures investors unmatched facilitation support to set up hospitals in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode by means of providing unencumbered land at competitive prices and viability gap funding during the crucial initial years of operations in addition to the multiple other benefits in the State’s Healthcare Investment Promotion Policy 2016.”

Odisha provides tremendous untapped opportunities for private investments in healthcare. The 25 locations where affordable hospitals proposed to be set up by the Govt of Odisha collectively entail investments to the tune of Rs. 1,300 crores which would, in turn, create 2,900 new hospital beds.

“This will be the single largest PPP initiative in the health sector in India and will create a model for increased expansion of healthcare into the smaller towns of India in the next few years. This is likely to create over 10,000 new high-paying and highly-skilled jobs in the health sector of Odisha,” said the Minister.

The affordable hospitals will allow the low-income households in the state’s hinterland to avail cashless treatment nearer to their homes, without the need to travel long distances under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY).

The other key proposal that was showcased to investors was the operations and maintenance support for the proposed cancer hospital at Jharsuguda on PPP mode.

This has been envisioned to provide quality cancer care services to 83 lakh people across the western Odisha districts. While the Government of Odisha will design, finance and build the infrastructure and also procure the medical equipment, the private partner will have the responsibility of operating, maintaining and managing the hospital to provide seamless healthcare services to the people.

The key national players in the healthcare sector operating in Odisha include Apollo Hospitals, CARE Hospitals, AMRI Hospitals, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Sunshine Hospitals among others.