Cuttack, Jan. 18: Expecting mothers will be able to access specialised facilities of paediatrics and gynaecology at Netaji Seva Sadan once the 64-year-old maternity care unit at Odia Bazar is upgraded to an Urban Primary Health Centre.

The Cuttack Municipal Corporation has proposed to upgrade the facilities at the sadan in a bid to revive the medical facility, inaugurated in 1952 by the then chief minister, Hare Krushna Mahatab.

"In December last, we submitted a proposal to the state health and family welfare department," said municipal commissioner Gyana Das.

Health department sources said the proposal was being considered and efforts were on to arrange the basic expenditure, including cost of the civil works. "Subsequently, a detail plan will also be prepared for implementing the project in the next couple of months," said a senior official of health department.

Already, there were plans to upgrade the existing health care facilities by setting up two community health centres and five primary health centres in the city's corporation limits. According to the proposals, the commu-nity health centres will be established at Chauliaganj and the satellite township at Markatnagar with a provision for 32 beds each.

The municipal commissioner said that once the health department approved the proposal, the state government would issue a notification that the unit would function under the National Urban Health Mission.

"Two doctors will be appointed, along with staff nurses and attendants, once the centre is upgraded. Besides, specialised paediatrics and gynaecology facilities will also be made available at the centre," said the mission's nodal officer Sudhanshu Sekhar Samant.

Earlier, the charitable centre, maintained by the Netaji Seva Sadan Trust Board, used to have facilities for X-ray, pathology and a male outdoor. "The trust is struggling financially to manage the centre. At present, there is a doctor, a nurse and other staff members. However, no deliveries are carried out here due to inadequate infrastructure," said trust secretary Keshav Rout.

The centre provides emergency services and also antenatal and postnatal care.

The corporation sources said there had been plans to convert the civic body's dispensary at a rented building at Deewan Bazar into an urban primary health centre. But, as no alternative government land was available at Deewan Bazar, the authorities decided to upgrade the Netaji Seva Sadan.

The centre has been functioning from a new building at Odia Bazar since 2003 after it was shifted from the Janakinath Bhavan when it had been converted into Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Birthplace Museum.

According to the proposal, Rs 75 lakh will be spent to develop the infrastructure of the maternity centre.