Bhubaneswar, July 15: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has some good news for patients in the state capital - in a month's time the hospital will add 150 beds to its existing count of 350.
Speaking on the occasion of the fourth foundation day of the institute's Bhubane-swar campus, AIIMS director Ashok Kumar Mahapatra said that patients seeking affordable health care services would benefit once the number of beds increased to 500 by mid-August.
"We have decided to increase the bed strength of our hospital to 500. We have already added 35 beds in the oncology ward, the rest will be added by August 15. We will add the beds in wards where the rush is more," said Mahapatra.
To offer better treatment to cancer patients, the institute now have a separate oncology ward. The ward will offer surgical and medical services to patients.
Union minister of state for health and family welfare Faggan Singh Kulaste will inaugurate the oncology ward equipped with modern facilities tomorrow.
Patients here have also welcomed the decision to increase the number of beds.
"It is a good move to increase the bed strength of the hospital. Once we have such facility in the city, it should serve its real purpose. The administration should increase the bed strength of the gynaecology ward as it receives a large number of patients," said Kamala Jena, an attendant.
Not only the number of beds, the hospital is also set to add to its existing staff strength, including doctors. At present, the 350-bed health care facility has 136 employees to manage its 39 departments.
However, once the institute takes full shape, it will have 41 departments with 1,000 beds for in-patients.
Once that happens, departments of nephrology, gastrosurgery, burn and plastic surgery would be introduced. Sources said that these three wards could not be run because of staff crunch.
Even as the hospital battles staff shortage, there is some relief for the authorities as the Centre has sanctioned Rs 1.75 crore for the construction of boundary wall at the Balasore Satellite Centre.
At present, the hospital treats nearly 10,000 patients every month.
To facilitate the stay of those accompanying patients, the AIIMS administration is set to set up an attendant rest house on its premises with fund raised from corporate social responsibility.
"This will be a new move. We have drawn up the proposal and have invited corporate bodies. Hospitals in our state do not have facilities for patients' attendants and, therefore, we have decided to provide them free accommodation," said Mahapatra.
In yet another move, the institute has also planned to make operational its modern digital subtraction angiography (DSA) laboratory.
The DSA is a type of fluoroscopy technique used in interventional radiology to clearly visualise blood vessels in a bony or dense soft tissue environment.
However, the institute's dream to set up a School of Public Health for Research hangs fire as the state government failed to provide land. Notably, a fund of Rs 80 crore, which was sanctioned to build the School of Public Health, is lying unutilised with the AIIMS administration.
