Baripada, June 8: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday inaugurated a new 650‑bed hospital of Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and launched 39 developmental projects worth over Rs430 crore in Mayurbhanj district, officials said.
The hospital, built at a cost of Rs258 crore, is equipped with advanced diagnostics, specialist departments, critical care, and modern teaching infrastructure.
Speaking on the occasion, CM Majhi said the facility would transform healthcare across north Odisha and adjoining regions, expanding MBBS seats from 125 to 150 and introducing postgraduate medical education.

Of the total projects, CM Majhi laid foundation stones for 21 schemes worth Rs282 crore and inaugurated 18 projects valued at Rs149 crore. These include initiatives in healthcare, transport, electricity, and drinking water supply. He also inaugurated 83 drinking water projects worth nearly Rs100 crore to address long‑standing supply issues in the tribal‑dominated district.

The rollout comes ahead of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Mayurbhanj on June 20 to mark the government’s second anniversary.

CM Majhi emphasized that the new hospital would particularly benefit tribal communities by improving access to maternal and childcare, community health services, and reducing the need for patients to travel long distances. He described the day as a “milestone” in Mayurbhanj’s development journey.

Highlighting Odisha’s healthcare expansion, CM Majhi noted that 3.46 crore beneficiaries from 1.3 crore families are currently covered under Ayushman Bharat–Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana. Within 20 months of the present government, three new medical colleges have been made operational in Jajpur, Kandhamal, and Talcher, with plans for more in Nabarangpur, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, and Bhadrak.

To strengthen AYUSH services, the government is also working to establish three new Ayurvedic colleges in Gajapati, Malkangiri, and Rayagada, and two homeopathic colleges in Nayagarh and Nuapada.

CM Majhi urged medical students to treat medicine as a “sacred calling” and serve the poor and marginalized, particularly in remote tribal areas. He also recalled the legacy of Pandit Raghunath Murmu, after whom the institution is named, calling upon future doctors to uphold values of service and compassion.