Bhubaneswar: The health and family welfare department has decided to hold more workshops on the lines of the first investors' consultation meet for affordable health care projects in the state.

Department insiders said these workshops would lure more investors to take up projects in the sector.

The first such workshop in the city on November 28 saw 160 investors from across India take part with several showing interest in collaborating with the government on different health care projects.

"Such collaborations are cost effective and also explore the opportunities for the state to get good investments. We are exploring the option to execute different hospital projects in the public-private-partnership mode," said a department official.

He said they already had a discussion regarding organisation more such meets and a date for a second workshop in the second half of December was already in pencilled in.

"We have planned to set up a cardiac care hospital and another cancer hospital in Jharsuguda. We plan to put these two as priority projects in the upcoming meets," said the official.

Earlier this year, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and the health department held a similar investors' meet in Hyderabad and in April, they secured a deal with Hyderabad-based Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences to execute the greenfield hospital at Gadakana along with a health care network to take care of existing dispensaries.

The proposed hospital is meant to provide quality health care services to the under privileged urban population.

However, the project hangs fire since the private party is yet to avail of a loan from the bank to begin work on the project.

"It is a huge project and estimated to cost Rs 425 crore. The private party will have to make investment entirely on its own. We will shortly have a discussion with them regarding the problem and try to solve it and go ahead with the project as soon as possible," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.

Sailashree Vihar resident Rakesh Josh said it was a good project, but they needed to be serious about its execution.

"At present, only AIIMS provides good health care services at an affordable price. More such hospitals for the urban poor are a priority," said Josh, a schoolteacher.