Odisha needs 1,100 more beds by 2025 to attract medical tourists

To promote Odisha as a medical tourism destination, the state needs to add 1,100 specialty hospital beds by 2025, with an investment of around Rs 580 crore.

With the presence of big brands like Apollo Hospitals, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Care Hospital and Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bhubaneswar, the capital city, has emerged as a health care hub of eastern India.

"However, considering 50% drainage of patients in Odisha to Bhubaneswar and 15%, 5% and 10% hospitalization of cardiac, cancer and neurology cases, the number of specialty beds required is 1,750 as of now and 1,971 by 2025. With around 1,000 specialty beds currently available in Bhubaneswar, the gap in specialty beds is estimated at 971 by 2025", read a report prepared by the KPMG jointly with Ipicol.

 

In order to improve the specialty treatment, Bhubaneswar needs to have atleast another 1,100 specialty beds by 2025 in departments like oncology, cardiology, neurology and nephrology.

The total cost required for installation of these of specialty beds is pegged at Rs 580 crore till 2025.

"Odisha has a robust healthcare scenario with facilities for treatment of almost all emergencies. The state has impressive 0.8 beds per 1,000 population, which is better than the national average. However, considering the WHO recommendation of three beds per 1,000 population, the shortfall in the number of beds till 2025 is 1,17,160. Even at one bed per thousand population, the gap is 17,437 hospital beds till 2025", added the report.

The provision of these super specialty facilities will need the services of at least 100 specialty doctors in the departments like cradiology, gynecology, neurology, neurosurgery and orthopedics and orthopedic surgery, pediatrics.

Currently the city based hospitals see 50-60% patients inflow from within the city and the Khurda district, 30-35% from other neighbouring districts and the rest 5-10% from other states. The availability of comprehensive super specialty services will ensure more patient inflow from other states, added the report.