Bhubaneswar, August 12: Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw has recommended works worth Rs 3.10 crore under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for healthcare infrastructure in Baleshwar district, said an official release.

The recommendations cover works worth Rs 1.40 crore at the Sub-Divisional Hospital (SDH), Nilagiri, and Rs 1.70 crore at the Baleshwar District Headquarters Hospital (DHH).

According to the release, the proposed works at SDH, Nilagiri include upgradation of the IPD, Drug Ware House, Patient Rest Room, Casualty, Refreshment Hall, Surgery Ward and OT, SDMO Office and OPD Block. The detailed item-wise works and their approximate costs are provided in Annexure I.

At the DHH, the proposed works include upgradation of the Medicine Block, Drug Ware House, Mother Child Complex, Casualty, Anti-Retroviral Therapy Centre, Surgery Ward and OT. The proposal also includes construction of a Patient Rest Room and upgradation of the Refreshment Hall at the OPD Block under DHH.

For patients and families in Nilagiri and Baleshwar, these infrastructure upgrades touch a long-felt need. They will-make the everyday basics of a hospital visit more comfortable and efficient, with the promise of better outcomes. A functioning casualty ward, a clean rest room, a well-stocked drug store - the recommended works are aimed at strengthening exactly these essentials.

An upgraded Mother Child Complex means safer care for mother and child during childbirth. A strengthened Anti-Retroviral Therapy Centre means patients on long-term treatment get a more dignified space to return to, visit after visit. Better patient rest rooms mean families accompanying the sick no longer have to wait on corridor floors. Important interventions that shape how people experience government healthcare on the ground.

Baleshwar is a coastal district in northern Odisha with a population of around 2,320,529 as per the 2011 census. Baleshwar town has a population of around 1,74,000.

The DHH is one of the crucial Government-run hospitals in the town, providing general public healthcare and emergency services. Nilagiri is a town and subdivision under Baleshwar district with a population of about 132168 as per 2011 census.

A seasoned bureaucrat turned politician, Vaishnaw worked as District Collector of Baleshwar in 1999.

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