Bhubaneswar, July 9: Outpatient department (OPD) services have begun at the satellite centre of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Balasore.

The service began from the residential colony premises of the Integrated Test Range (ITR), a defence establishment.

While opening the OPD services, director of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, Dr Geetanjali Batmanbane, three specialist doctors and director of the Integrated Test Range Binay Kumar Das, were present.

On January 23 last year, the then director of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, Ashok Mohapatra had visited Balasore district headquarters hospital and had assured people there that the OPD service would be provided from the hospital campus.

Local residents, however, wonder why the OPD service was launched at the Integrated Test Range, when superspecialty facilities were available at the district headquarters hospital.

The hospital is visited by a large number of patients from across the district.

Batmanbane, however, said that certain bottlenecks at the district headquarters hospital had made them choose the Integrated Test Range premises over the hospital to launch the OPD services. She also said some unavoidable circumstances had forced them to postpone the inaugural ceremony.

"Yesterday, health check up of 108 patients was done by three specialists and supporting staff. From now onwards, every weekend three to four specialists from AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, will visit Balasore and for the time being, the service will be available on the defence premises," she said.