Bhubaneswar, Sept. 4: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today dedicated the Saheed Laxman Nayak Medical College and Hospital at Koraput in southern Odisha, about 500km from here, to improve health care standard of KBK region, considered to be the most underdeveloped area of the state.

The 100-seat medical college, the state's fourth government-run institute, will start its academic session from this year. On September 6, Naveen will inaugurate another 100-seat college at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district in northern Odisha. The number of MBBS seats in the state will rise to 850 with the addition of these two colleges.

The medical college at Koraput is expected to bring a change in the health scenario in the area, known for malnutrition deaths and Japanese encephalitis deaths.

Inaugurating the college in Koraput today, Naveen said: "With the establishment of the college, a long awaited dream of the people of tribal dominated districts of southern Odisha as well as aspirations of thousands of students seeking to pursue medical education have become a reality today. I trust this college will play an important role in addressing many challenges related to the health delivery systems in the region."

Aware of regional disparities in the state, he said: "This college is another stepping stone towards government of Odisha's resolve to ensure inclusive, equitable, and sustainable development in the state."

The college has 100 students. Of these, 20 are from the backward districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur, Rayagada and Nuapada. An official said that once students from these areas pass out, it would be easy to find doctors who could be posted in the remote parts of the state.

Naveen also indicated the same when he said: "The state government is fully committed to making desirable policy provisions in order to attract and retain human resources for health care in the tribal districts through financial and non-financial incentives to doctors and faculties working in KBK and far-off areas."

The chief minister is scheduled to dedicate the Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district on September 6.

"With SLN Medical College, Koraput and PRM Medical College, Baripada, the total number of MBBS seats in the state has gone up to 850. We expect to add 200 more seats next year to cross 1,000 seat mark," said Naveen.

Two more medical colleges are slated to come up next year in Balasore and Balangir.

The three government medical colleges - SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur and VSSS Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla, - together have 650 MBBS seats.

The medical college in Koraput has come up on 52 acres of land at an estimated cost of Rs 192 crore. The construction of the medical college was completed within a record two years. Out of the 100 sanctioned seats, 15 seats were reserved for candidates under the all India quota. The remaining 85 seats will be filled up with candidates under the state quota. However, chief minister's inauguration of the medical college was not bereft of politics. The Congress criticised Naveen for trying to corner credit for a project "of the UPA government".

Congress legislature party chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati said: "It's the UPA government that had given money for the purpose. It's now Naveen who is taking credit for it."

The police detained Bahinipati, along with two other Congress MLAs and hundreds of Congress workers, ahead of Naveen's Koraput visit.