Value Add

The Rising Star of the East

With a pro-active Government in place and big investments coming into the state in the private medical industry, days are not far away when Bhubaneswar will become a hub of the Indian healthcare industry

Bhubaneswar has now emerged as one of the most important commercial hubs of the East. The city has started to offer the best of advanced medicare, which till recently was under the realms of the state Government.

The healthcare system in Bhubaneswar till the 90s mainly comprised poly-clinics, nursing homes and state-run Government hospitals. There was a serious dearth of super speciality treatment even in the early 2000. Kalinga Hospital was the first full-fledged corporate hospital of the state. Despite having a sizable population of cancer patients of the country, the state did not have a comprehensive oncology care facility, even till then. But things have changed and changed for the better. Bhubaneswar, is now 'the rising star of the East', in terms of healthcare delivery. Today several multi-speciality and super specialty hospitals have come up in the city. Aditya CARE Hospital, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Apollo Hospital, Hemlata Hospital are just to name a few.

Dr Arabinda Kumar Rath, Chairman & Managing Director, Hemlata Hospitals, says, "Private healthcare industry in Orissa has undergone a vast metamorphosis over the last two decades. In fact, it was practically unknown except for the existence of a few nursing homes. Many super specialty hospitals have come in the last few years and a few are in the pipeline." Several super specialty and multi-specialty hospitals are in the pipeline, like AMRI, Narayana Hrudayalaya, Vedanta Aluminium, Asian Heart, Desun Hospital and Global Hospitals.

Though a long way to go, the sector is witnessing significant growth and many hospitals with emphasis on super specialty or tertiary care have come up, feels Dr Rath. Maj Gen (Dr) Bikash K Mohanti, Medical Superintendent, Kalinga Hospital shares, "The future of private healthcare providers is bright because the prevailing business climate, general economic outlook, as well as business enabling infrastructure will contribute immensely to the success of private healthcare."

As more hospitals are being set up, more state-of-the-art technology will be introduced and more choices will be offered to patients. With a pro-active Government in place and big investments, days are not far away when Bhubaneswar will become a hub of the Indian healthcare industry.