Sambalpur: The Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Science and Research (Vimsar) in Burla has not been able to perform its basic duties because of the lack of financial autonomy.

Sambalpur MP Nagendra Pradhan raised the issue in a letter to chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

He said the health and family welfare department controlled everything even after the appointment of its second director.

Besides, there is no streamlining of the personal appraisal report at the general administration department.

Consequently, the departmental promotion of professors and associate professors cannot be done, Pradhan said.

The state government, by passing an act in the Assembly on January 1, 2015, changed the stature of the institution and named it Vimsar.

Pradhan said Vimsar director A. Pujahari was not able to discharge his duties in an effective manner as there was no financial autonomy.

Pradhan requested Naveen to instruct the concerned officials for implementation of the act for "smooth functioning of the great institution".

Some of the executive members of Vimsar had, in a memorandum to finance minister Sashi Bhushan Behera during his last visit to Sambalpur, requested him to sanction a special grant of Rs 200 crore with financial power to the director for various projects of the medical institution and hospital.

The members, led by Sankar Prasad Pati, had also recommended implementation of the pay scale to Vimsar doctors on a par with that of AIIMS to attract senior medicos to the institution.

Pujahari said efforts were on to make Vimsar one of the best health care providers of eastern India with the support of the government and public.

He has initiated programmes to make Vimsar a super-specialty hospital.