Bhubaneswar: Former Union minister and senior congress leader Srikant Jena on Tuesday criticised both the BJD government in the state and BJP government at the Centre for "misleading people on the establishment of a medical college in the state".

Jena said: "The medical colleges were mooted by the UPA government in 2013 and 2014. Accordingly, the guidelines of the Medical Council of India were changed. Where there is a 300-bed hospital, a medical college can be set up. Accordingly, decision was taken to set up 58 medical colleges across the country. Out of it, five medical colleges were to come up in Balasore, Baripada, Balangir, Koraput and Puri in the state. But the way a competition is going on between the BJD and the BJP to catch all the publicity makes one feel that as they had done all these for the establishment of these medical colleges."

Jena also raised the issue why the state government remained silent on the issue of establishment of a superspecialty hospital in Balasore and the ESIC Hospital in Bhubaneswar.

He said: "The UPA government had approved both these hospitals in principle. Besides, a school of public health of international standard was announced. Odisha government has given 30 acres for that. But instead of opening of the school of public health, an OPD is going to be opened there."

He also said: "Five places across the country were identified for setting up ESIC medical college and hospitals. All the medical colleges have come up, except the one in Bhubaneswar. Even Rs 800 crore was estimated to be spent for the hospital. But nothing has been done in this regard."