Berhampur, Sept. 2: Tata Steel will build a modern 500-bed super-specialty hospital spread over 44 acres at Sitalapalli in Ganjam district.

The inauguration ceremony was held today in the presence of Tata Group chairman Cyrus P. Mistry. Managing director (India and South East Asia) of Tata Steel T.V. Narendran and higher education minister Pradeep Panigrahy were also present to grace the occasion.

The hospital will be equipped to handle advanced surgeries along with emergency services. It will also have a world-class diagnostic facility. The facility will initially have 200 beds.

To set up the hospital, Tata Steel collaborated with Medica Hospitals, a Calcutta-based healthcare specialist, having expertise in implementing quality healthcare management systems in 100 hospitals spanning across 22 states in India and six other countries, including Yemen, Myanmar and South Africa.

An advanced mobile medical unit was also flagged-off at the inauguration ceremony. Four more such mobile medical units will be added to provide primary health care facility to people residing at remote villages.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for the hospital in February 2013. Mistry said the super-specialty hospital would be a game-changer in advanced treatment for patients.

Dr Padmanav Rao, a physician of the mobile medical unit, said: “Three doctors will look after 30 villages regularly through the mobile units. Each unit will cater to the needs of 10 villages. It will consist of doctors and pharmacists. There is ample space in the mobile vans to examine patients properly.”

Tata Steel, which was planning to set up a steel plant, has temporarily shelved its plan. Instead, it will set up a special economic zone at Gopalpur, along with a 50,000 tonnes per annum capacity ferro-chrome plant and a rebar steel mill.