In a significant boost to affordable healthcare, free diagnostic services under the state government's Nidaan scheme have been inaugurated at the Biju Patnaik Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur. This initiative, launched in a public-private partnership (PPP) mode, marks a pivotal step in extending essential medical testing to patients visiting Ayush institutions across Odisha.
Inauguration and Statewide Expansion
The services were formally opened on Saturday by Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy, the Member of Parliament from Berhampur. The state government has decided to extend these free diagnostic services under the Nidaan scheme to all nine Ayush institutes in Odisha. This network includes four homeopathic colleges, three Ayurvedic medical colleges, and two Ayush hospitals located in Bhubaneswar and Paikamal.
College principal Geetanjali Patnaik confirmed the launch, stating the move aligns with the government's decision. The Berhampur MP emphasized that thousands of patients who rely on Ayush institutions will benefit immensely. Previously, patients were often prescribed treatments based solely on symptoms due to a lack of on-site diagnostic support, forcing many to seek expensive tests at private centers in urgent situations.
How the PPP Model Works
The service operates through a strategic public-private partnership. The government has assigned a private diagnostic centre to conduct the lab tests. A well-furnished room within the medical college has been allocated for sample collection daily between 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM.
The private agency will collect samples during this window and process them at its own laboratory. Test reports will be delivered to the patients the following day. An agreement between the medical college authorities and the diagnostic agency, valid for one year, was signed prior to the inauguration. K Anil Kumar, the local MLA, was also present at the launch event.
Comprehensive Test Menu and Wider Implementation
The agency will conduct a total of 22 essential diagnostic tests for free under the scheme. The list includes:
- Hemoglobin and Complete Blood Count (CBC)
- Blood Group, Blood Sugar, and Cholesterol
- Malaria and Typhoid tests
- Urine and Stool microscopy
- Semen analysis, Blood Urea, and Liver function tests
- Total Leucocyte Count and Platelet Count
This model is set to be replicated across other Ayush institutes. Arun Kumar Das, principal of the government-run KATS Ayurvedic College and Hospital in Ankushpur near Berhampur, confirmed that they have already entered into a similar agreement with the agency. The service will commence there once a suitable room is prepared within the hospital premises.
This rollout of the Nidaan scheme represents a major advancement in integrating diagnostic support with traditional medicine systems, potentially improving the accuracy of treatments and reducing out-of-pocket expenses for a vast number of patients in Odisha.
